Now, all PG medical students in state to get uniform stipend

Now, all PG medical students in state to get uniform stipend

There have been complaints in the past by PG students from private medical colleges that their stipend amount is never at par with the government medical colleges (GMC).

Written by Pallavi Smart

Mumbai | Updated: January 5, 2024 03:22 IST

One of the students said, “In Maharashtra, when a PG student from GMC is getting paid close to Rs 80,000 a month, in private medical colleges this varies from 20,000-50,000. Whereas some do not even pay any stipend to PG students. In Karnataka, where GMCs are paying Rs 40,000 a month, private colleges are paying almost half of it.”

Post-Graduate (PG) students in all medical colleges will now have to be paid stipend at par with the stipend being paid to PG students of state-run medical colleges where the institution is located. This is clarified in a gazette notification issued by the National Medical Council (NMC) on Thursday on Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (PGMER-23), applicable to medical colleges across India.

While the stipend regulation puts an end to the persisting clash over differences in amount of stipend paid to PG medical students in government and private institutions, the PGMER-23 also brings uniformity in various other aspects of PG medical education imparted in institutions of various types such as weekly off and daily resting period for PG students, paid leaves for casual and academic reasons etc.

There have been complaints in the past by PG students from private medical colleges that their stipend amount is never at par with the government medical colleges (GMC). One of the students said, “In Maharashtra, when a PG student from GMC is getting paid close to Rs 80,000 a month, in private medical colleges this varies from 20,000-50,000. Whereas some do not even pay any stipend to PG students. In Karnataka, where GMCs are paying Rs 40,000 a month, private colleges are paying almost half of it.”

Stating that the uniformity in stipend, clarified in the notification, is a great relief for PG students, especially those studying in private medical colleges, one of the parents, Brijesh Sutaria, said, “Clarity in stipend for PG students across medical colleges was need of the hour. It is important to see that these regulations are implemented and do not remain only on paper.”

As per the notification, all PG medical candidates, irrespective of whether they are studying in government or private institutions, are entitled to 20 days of paid casual leave along with five days of paid-academic leave per year and all PG medical students should be allowed one weekly off.

The notification also states, “All post-graduate students will work as full-time resident doctors. They will work for reasonable working hours and will be provided reasonable time for rest in a day.”

But this according to parents is ambiguous. A parent, Sudha Shenoy, said, “The NMC should define daily-duty for each PG student and duration of rest-period. The word ‘reasonable’ is very subjective. It can be conveniently used by different colleges.” Sutaria pointed out how PG students are generally seen working 72- 96 hours without going home, insisting on the definition of working hours and resting-period.

Adding to this, Shenoy said, “Apart from regulation, the NMC should also have clarified a grievance redressal process, if any student should have complaint. There has to be a system to monitor.”

Some other important points from the PGMER-23 include extension in tenure of district residency programme from two months to three months wherein all PG students pursuing MD/MS in broad specialties in all medical colleges shall undergo a compulsory residential rotation of three months in district hospitals or district health systems.