The National Medical Commission has been silent about 60 medical colleges including 27 private ones admitting that they are not paying any stipend to interns. The issue of MBBS interns not being paid stipend is being heard by the Supreme Court since 2022. The only action taken by NMC, after much prodding by the court, is to announce a penalty of Rs 1 crore on seven colleges which did not furnish any information on stipend payment, just five days before a hearing in court.In the last hearing on October 28, 2025, the court had stated in its order that the NMC “seems to be dragging its feet without having any serious concern”. It added: “We are forced to make this observation as no action seems to have been taken against erring institutions. We hope and trust that the NMC would wake up from its slumber and take appropriate steps … at least by the next date of hearing.” The case was supposed to come up for hearing on March 17. On March 12, the NMC issued a public notice stating that a penalty of Rs 1 crore was being imposed on seven medical colleges that “have not furnished the required information regarding payment of stipend to medical interns despite repeated reminders”.The commission had data showing that 60 colleges were not paying any stipend to MBBS interns from as far back as 2024. However, it has chosen to take action on only seven colleges that have not furnished information.Earlier, TOI had analysed the data submitted by hundreds of medical colleges on stipend payment which showed that private colleges saved crores each year by not paying stipend equivalent to that in state medical colleges. Hence, even a one-time penalty of Rs 1 crore is unlikely to be a deterrent for many private medical colleges.Thousands of MBBS students doing clinical duties during the final year internship are being paid as little as Rs 2,000 per month according to data submitted to the Supreme Court by NMC. The then chief justice who was hearing the case related to payment of stipend had remarked that not paying stipend to young doctors putting in 16-20 hours per day was like the practice of bonded labour.The March 17 hearing did not happen, and the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations 2021 continue to have a provision that states that “all interns shall be paid stipend as fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution/ University or State”. This is unlike the provision for postgraduate resident doctors, where stipend paid must be on par with the stipend being paid to resident doctors in state govt medical institutions in the state where the institution is located. Despite the health ministry urging the NMC to examine the stipend provision for MBBS interns in light of the corresponding provision under postgraduate medical education regulations, 2023, no action has been taken, even as the case drags on for the fourth year with no resolution.In fact, this issue has been dragging on since January 25, 2019 when the Board of Governors of the erstwhile Medical Council of India issued a notice seeking public comments on adding a provision to the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education 1997 which stated: “All the candidates pursuing compulsory rotating internship at the institution from which MBBS course was completed, shall be paid stipend on par with the stipend being paid to the interns of the State Govt. Medical Institution / Central Government Medical Institution in the State / Union Territory where the institution is located.” However, the BOG was dissolved, and the provision was not gazetted.
