Careers 360 English Edition – July 2019

If we protest the authorities will not sign our logbooks,

or they can put a week of extra duty by giving petty

reasons. That only further wastes our time. Due to

such threats, not many people raise their voice and

this practice continues to be there

Aathul Anand

Medical intern, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur

Due to such threats, not many peo-
ple raise their voice and this practice
continues to be,” says Aathul Anand,
a medical intern of Amala Institute of
Medical Sciences at Thrissur in Kerala.
This situation is not exclusive to any
one state as students in private colleges
across the country have been continu-
ously facing similar problems. News
of such unfair practices barely trickles
outside the campuses as managements
swiftly suppress any dissent. There are

also cases where the students inadvert-

ently sign on a bond during admission

that they will take only a certain portion

of the stipend and the rest will go to the

trust that runs the institution.

Ray of hope

During the last week of January 2019, a

public notice was put up on the Medical

Council of India (MCI) website that

provided hope for these students. The

notice addressed the lack of uniform-

ity in the stipends of MBBS interns of

private and government colleges of the

same state. In the notice, MCI Board of

Governors (BoGs) invited comments

from the stakeholders on paying sti-

pends to students pursuing a compul-

sory rotatory residential internship in

private colleges on par with those paid

to the interns of the state government

medical institutions.

Private medical colleges students

of Kerala remain sceptical about the

efficacy of this move. This scepticism

stems from their experience regarding

a previous government order. In June

2015, the government of Kerala ordered

an increase in stipends to Rs. 20,000

for all government, private and self-

financed medical colleges of the state.

This month marks the fourth year of

that order and still, most private col-

leges in the state pay a quarter of that

amount. “Yes, such an order was passed

by the government, but it has no effect

on the actual functioning of the col-

leges. Orders come and go but nothing

changes,” says Aathul.

The private colleges remain adamant

that they are under no obligation to pay

the interns more than what they deem

fit. “As far as interns are concerned,

neither the university nor the govern-

ment can dictate how much the stipend

should be. The internship is part of

the course, nobody can dictate us and

say that (they should be paid a certain

amount),” said Anil Kumar Vallil, Sec-

retary, Kerala Private Medical College

Management Association.

Hazy future

The issue though is a systemic one as

even the state governments are unable

to make the private colleges comply

with their orders. Even before the gov-

ernments of many states, including that

of Kerala, ordered an increase in sti-

pends, the issue was brought into the

MCI’s notice which then commented

that the Graduate Medical Education

(GME) regulations have no clause

regarding the stipends of MBBS interns.

The recent change in approach by the

MCI has brought the issue again to the

limelight. But an answer to the vexing

problem appears to be far off. The MCI,

which finds itself entangled in many

administrative problems, seems to lack

the clarity and direction to find a solu-

tion to an issue that can only be solved

through strict regulations.

With privately-run colleges continuing to

flout government orders who will ensure

that the medical interns get justice?

As far as interns are concerned,

neither the university nor the

government can dictate how much

the stipend should be. The internship

is part of the course, nobody can

dictate us and say that (they should

be paid a certain amount)

Anil Kumar Vallil
Secretary, Kerala Private Medical College Management Association.

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