Mumbai: In a recent guideline, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) directed that MBBS interns from private medical colleges in the state are to receive a monthly stipend of Rs 18,000.

Although the National Medical Commission (NMC) ordered all private institutions in the state to pay stipends set by the state's competent body in 2021, the sum for these colleges was not stated.

With the exception of one or two, parents said that private institutions in Maharashtra had never paid "a decent amount."

In addition, DMER requested that private colleges provide a comprehensive report on stipends in its directive of July 10.

Every MBBS students are required to complete a four-and-a-half-year program that includes a year-long internship. An increase in the stipend from Rs 11,000 to Rs 18,000 was mandated by a Maharashtra government order dated February 27, 2024, for all interns employed by state-run colleges. Although the 2021 order said that the stipends would be set by the relevant state authority, the NMC had stated in many missives that private colleges should match the stipends paid at state government colleges. The government has now released a circular setting the sum at Rs 18,000 per month, restating the earlier orders.

Parent representative Sudha Shenoy stated that many colleges in Mumbai do not adhere to the NMC regulation, with the exception of one that pays the entire sum as a stipend. " A Navi Mumbai college has not paid a single rupee to students in years. Another one in Nagpur pays less than Rs 2,000 per month. Following the NMC directive, deemed institutions have started paying Rs 18,000 as a stipend, but not private ones,” She continued by saying that the state is not being checked to see if the NMC's directives are being followed.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey)