NEW DELHI: The Health Ministry has directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to examine a key provision of internship regulations to ensure that all undergraduate medical interns—whether studying in government or private medical colleges—receive the same stipend.

The directive comes three years after the NMC introduced the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) Regulations, 2021, which states that “all interns shall be paid stipend as fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution/University or State.”

The clause, however, contradicts the Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER), 2023, which clearly mandates equal stipends for all interns, regardless of the type of institution.

The issue of stipend disparity has long been a point of contention among medical interns, particularly those in private medical colleges who often receive less pay—or none at all—despite working the same hours as their peers in government institutions. Government medical colleges typically offer between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 a month.

Resident doctors’ associations, such as FAIMA and FORDA, have repeatedly called for uniform pay across institutions. With the ministry’s directive, there is renewed hope for thousands of interns who have been demanding parity for years.