Medical Interns – NMC Yet to Begin Stipend Parity Amendment Process

Medical Interns – The National Medical Commission has not yet initiated a formal process to revise rules on stipend parity for undergraduate medical interns, according to a response received under the Right to Information Act. The matter has remained under discussion despite two communications from the Union Health Ministry asking the medical education regulator to examine the issue.

Ministry Had Sought Review of Internship Stipend Rules

The Health Ministry had asked the National Medical Commission, which oversees medical education across the country, to consider whether existing regulations should be amended to address differences in stipends paid to interns. The concern affects students completing compulsory internships in both government-run and private medical colleges.

In February, the commission acknowledged that stipend parity does not currently exist and indicated that any change would require an amendment through the prescribed statutory process. However, the latest RTI response suggests that no wider consultation or formal revision exercise has begun so far.

RTI Response Points to Future Stakeholder Consultation

In its reply dated June 30, the NMC stated that stakeholder inputs would be invited only when the regulations are revised or amended. The response was issued following a query by RTI activist Dr KV Babu, who sought details of communications between the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board and the Health Ministry’s Medical Education Policy Section.

The Under-Graduate Medical Education Board, an autonomous body functioning under the NMC, is responsible for regulating undergraduate medical education. Dr Babu had also asked whether the commission had sent any direction or communication to the board regarding the proposed amendment.

Issue Has Remained Pending for Several Years

Dr Babu said the question of equal stipends for medical interns has been pending with the government and the NMC for more than four years. He noted that the Health Ministry had written to the commission in December last year, specifically asking it to consider amending the relevant regulations.

According to Dr Babu, the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board had responded in February 2026 that an amendment would be necessary. He said the RTI reply indicates that the NMC has not yet taken the next procedural steps needed to begin the amendment process.

Existing Regulation Links Stipend to Local Authorities

The discussion centres on a provision in the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations, 2021. Under the current framework, interns are to receive a stipend fixed by the authority applicable to their institution, university or state. This arrangement can result in significant variation in payments depending on the type of college and the state where the internship is completed.

Medical students and representatives have argued that the present structure creates unequal treatment between interns, particularly when students in private institutions receive lower stipends than those in government colleges. The demand for a uniform approach has therefore gained attention within the wider debate on medical education standards and student welfare.

Comparison Drawn With Postgraduate Medical Education Rules

The Health Ministry’s request for a review is also being viewed alongside the Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023. Those regulations do not distinguish between postgraduate trainees in government and private medical colleges in the same way as the internship rules.

Any amendment to the internship regulations would require the NMC to follow its statutory process, including consultation with relevant stakeholders. Until that process begins, the question of stipend parity for undergraduate medical interns is likely to remain unresolved.