The Supreme Court has issued notices to the National Medical Commission (NMC) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Medical College, Vidisha, following a plea filed by five foreign medical graduates who allege non-payment of stipends during their internship. The bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta has taken note of the grievance, demanding that these graduates be treated on par with their counterparts who completed MBBS from Indian institutions.
The plea, represented by lawyer Tanvi Dubey on behalf of the five doctors, highlights the disparity in stipend disbursement and emphasizes the need for foreign medical graduates to receive fair treatment as per NMC guidelines. The bench has also extended notices to the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council and has scheduled the hearing for March 11.
During the brief hearing, Dubey argued that despite the NMC’s notification stating that foreign medical graduates should be treated equivalently to Indian medical graduates, these students are being deprived of their rightful monthly stipend. The plea seeks an appropriate writ directing the medical college to provide regular monthly stipends to the petitioners and students listed for the entire duration of their internship.
The petition further requests the NMC and other relevant authorities to determine the stipend for these students throughout their internship, aligning with the standards followed by other medical colleges. The affected students are currently undergoing their internship at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Medical College in Vidisha.
The plea underscores a notice from the Government Medical Education Department of Madhya Pradesh, dated November 17, 2022, which outlines a stipend of Rs 12,760 for interns with effect from April 1, 2022. The Supreme Court’s intervention is expected to address the grievances of foreign medical graduates and ensure equitable treatment in stipend disbursement during their internship.