Supreme Court directs medical body to explain delay in stipend to FMGs

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the National Medical Commission to submit an affidavit and explain why the stipend to foreign medical graduates is not being given in some colleges. A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi also asked the Rajasthan government to disburse the stipend to students within two weeks. The top court warned that in case of non-compliance, the state secretary will be summoned to the court.

During the hearing, advocate Tanvi Dubey, appearing for the petitioners, submitted a chart stating that there are certain colleges which are not paying any stipend to the foreign medical graduates.

She further submitted that there is a circular of the National Medical Commission (NMC) itself which provides that there has to be parity between the Indian and foreign medical graduates.

Stipend for FMGs

However, despite that, there is no parity in most of the states when it comes to payment of stipend to the foreign and Indian medical graduates while they are doing the same kind of duties and putting in the same kind of hours. The top court has now posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.

The NMC had earlier informed the top court that seven out of 756 medical colleges have not been paying stipends to interns, junior residents or senior residents, and show-cause notices have been issued to them. The apex court was hearing a petition filed by medical graduate Abhishek Yadav and others regarding payment of stipends to medical students.

It had earlier observed that despite a September 2023 order mandating a stipend of Rs.25,000 per month for interns starting October 2023, the previous batch had been left uncompensated.