The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 17) asked the National Medical Commission to submit an affidavit elucidating why foreign medical graduates in some colleges have not yet been granted the stipend, according to a PTI report.
A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi further directed the Rajasthan government to distribute the stipend among the graduates within two weeks, warning that non-adherence may invite a summons from the court.
During the hearing, advocate Tanvi Dubey, appearing for the petitioners, placed a chart before the court, apprising it that certain colleges are not paying a stipend allowance to FMGs.
Parity Missing in Stipends Despite Same Duties, Working Hours: Advocate
She also entered into the record an NMC circular citing the need for parity between Indian and foreign medical graduates.
Despite that, there is no parity between stipends offered to foreign and Indian medical graduates in most states, even though both are doing the same kind of duties and putting in the same hours, she contended.
The apex court will now hear the issue after two weeks.
The Commission had earlier apprised the SC that seven out of 756 medical colleges have refrained from paying stipends to interns, junior residents or senior residents, and show-cause notices have been issued to them.
The directions came while the top court was hearing a plea filed by a medical graduate, Abhishek Yadav, and others regarding payment of stipends to medical students.
Even with a September 2023 order making a stipend of Rs. 25,000 per month compulsory for interns starting October 2023, no compensation was provided to the earlier batch, the court earlier noted.
In late August, FMGs held a sit-in agitation demanding compensation for difficulties faced during the FMGE June session examination. An expert panel set up to examine their grievances ruled out compensatory marks, but the board later announced an additional FMGE examination, along with several other changes.
(With PTI Inputs)