What does the National Medical Commission (NMC) aim to achieve with its new initiatives? The NMC has launched an online feedback system for undergraduate medical students, allowing them to anonymously register complaints and evaluate their colleges’ infrastructure and faculty.
The online ‘Student Feedback Form’ seeks insights on various aspects of medical colleges and the overall educational experience. “The feedback aims to gather valuable anonymous feedback on various aspects of your medical college and medical education experience,” the NMC stated.
However, the NMC is also tackling a significant issue: unpaid stipends for MBBS interns. The commission has identified 60 medical colleges, including 27 private institutions, that are not paying their interns. This situation has been under scrutiny since January 25, 2019, and the Supreme Court has been hearing related cases since 2022.
The NMC’s regulations require a minimum of 54 months of education at a single institution and a 12-month internship at the same foreign university for students pursuing medical education abroad. Recently, the NMC warned students against enrolling in foreign medical colleges in Uzbekistan that do not comply with these regulations. “Students aspiring to pursue medical education abroad have been cautioned against enrolling in foreign medical colleges unauthorized medical colleges and offshore programs operating in violation of regulatory norms,” the NMC cautioned.
In a decisive move, the NMC imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on seven colleges for failing to provide stipend payment information. The Supreme Court remarked, “We are forced to make this observation as no action seems to have been taken against erring institutions,” highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Interns, who often work 16-20 hours a day, are facing a dire situation. The Chief Justice criticized the lack of stipend payments, equating it to the practice of bonded labor. Some MBBS interns reportedly receive a monthly stipend of Rs 2,000, a figure that many find inadequate.
As the NMC continues to implement its feedback system, the future of unpaid stipends for interns remains uncertain. Details remain unconfirmed regarding any immediate resolutions or further actions against the non-compliant institutions.
