Medical colleges have long neglected the issue of Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) not receiving stipends, despite Supreme Court directives.

Recently, the Court directed colleges to pay FMG interns stipends on par with domestic MBBS interns. However, some colleges have disregarded this, asking FMG interns to submit affidavits agreeing not to demand stipends. Additionally, a few colleges have even stopped offering seats to FMG candidates altogether.

FMG interns felt compelled to comply with the demands of the medical colleges. The majority of candidates are yielding to the pressure, eager to fulfill their two-year Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) requirement in order to qualify for a permanent registration certificate from the state medical council.

In April, the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) released a list detailing the distribution of internship seats across various medical colleges in Delhi.

Notably, prestigious institutions like AIIMS, Maulana Azad Medical College, Army College of Medical Science, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences, and RML Hospital had no seats available for FMGs to undertake the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI). These colleges cited ‘administrative reasons’ for the lack of internship opportunities for FMGs.

FMGs are facing difficulties securing internships in Delhi due to a combination of factors, including the limited availability of seats in approved medical colleges and alleged financial constraints hindering stipend payments to FMGs. Dr. Girish Tyagi, the secretary of DMC, explained that this year only 60 approved seats are available for FMGs seeking internships.

Additionally, despite efforts by DMC to inquire about seat availability at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), the administration has declined to absorb any FMGs for internships this year due to financial constraints and infrastructure issues, despite offering 18 seats last year.

Following the initial announcement on January 18, North Delhi Municipal Medical College (NDMMC), also known as Hindu Rao Hospital, had allocated five seats for FMG interns as per the DMC’s counselling list.

However, on April 29, the hospital informed DMC about the cancellation of these seats, citing insufficient funds for stipends and inadequate infrastructure. After discussions with DMC, the hospital agreed to accommodate five FMG interns but required them to submit authorized affidavits confirming their willingness to intern without a stipend, as stated by Tyagi.

Dr. Kaushal, the media coordinator of All FMGs Association (AFA), mentioned that on May 1, 2024, AFA members met with NMC to address the issue of seat scarcity in Delhi.

They urged NMC to permit non-teaching health institutions to offer internships to FMGs, as many struggle to secure internships in Delhi. Dr. Kaushal noted that in 2023, the internship seats in Delhi were increased to 587 after NMC allowed standalone postgraduate medical institutes providing DNB training and non-teaching hospitals to accommodate FMGs as interns.

Furthermore, FMG interns aspiring for careers in India have been compelled to accept unjust conditions and sign agreements stating they won’t demand stipends. Dr. Kaushal highlighted that this situation isn’t limited to the national capital but extends to various states like Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab.

Despite NMC regulations stipulating that FMGs should receive stipends equal to Indian Medical Graduates (IMGs) and prohibiting medical colleges from charging internship fees, certain institutions have flouted these rules. For instance, Atal Medical and Research University in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, has demanded high internship fees from FMG interns instead of paying stipends.

Similarly, other medical colleges like Dr RP Govt Medical College and Hospital Kangra at Tanda, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar Govt Medical College and Hospital in Nahan, Dr Radhakrishnan Govt Medical College & Hospital in Hamirpur, and Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru Govt Medical College & Hospital in Chamba have also imposed internship fees ranging from Rs 96,000 to Rs 1,92,000.

Shockingly, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Govt Medical College & Hospital in Mandi have completely eliminated seats for FMG internships for the 2024-25 academic session.

An official notification from HP medical colleges stated that currently, there’s no provision for stipends to FMGs in government medical colleges, but the HP government will make a decision regarding this issue.

A first-year FMG intern, who completed their degree in Kyrgyzstan, is currently enrolled at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Govt Medical College & Hospital in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

They shared that upon starting their internship in May 2023, they were required to pay a fee of Rs 32,000. They, along with other FMG students, were informed that this fee was collected under the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) scheme.

Prior to joining, interns were asked to sign an undertaking agreeing not to request a stipend, or else they wouldn’t receive their joining letter. They felt compelled to sign the undertaking to continue their internship without a stipend.

Another FMG student from Junagadh, Gujarat, who completed her medical degree in Georgia, will be interning at a hospital in Ahmedabad. She mentioned that she hasn’t been asked for an internship fee, but she won’t receive any compensation for her duties, even if they amount to working for 12 hours or more.

Dr. Khan, an FMG from Kashmir, represented around 50 interns in a protest at Government Medical College, Udhampur, demanding a stipend. Despite their efforts, the administration cited lack of funds as the reason for being unable to pay the stipend. They mentioned that in 2021-22, the hospital administration paid a stipend to the intern batch after a protest, but the provision was discontinued afterward.

Despite all FMG interns being accommodated in various hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir as per the counselling list released on May 1, 2023, their plea for a stipend was disregarded.

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