A recent Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) circular on stipend for medical interns has led to a lot of discussion among health professionals on the contentious issue.
The letter by KUHS Registrar on March 21 directed principals of all affiliated self-financing medical colleges and dental colleges to “strictly comply with” the academic council decision in 2015 to “grant stipend for interns of UG and PG courses at par with the interns of government colleges”. The circular also said that “further complaints, if any, received regarding non-payment of stipend to the students will be treated seriously by the university.”
Following this, medical professionals were left wondering if the university has finally stepped in to enforce its authority to end the alleged discrimination in payment of stipend in private medical colleges. Because, they pointed out that the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) guidelines on this are vague. The regulations just say that “all interns shall be paid stipend as fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution/University or State.”
It has been alleged that some of the private college medical managements have been denying the stipulated stipend to the interns as they have complete discretion on the issue without any safeguarding mechanism. Public health activists have also accused the NMC of helping such colleges. In a recent reply to Binoy Viswam, Rajya Sabha MP, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also reiterated the NMC guidelines when the problems faced by the medical interns in private colleges were highlighted.
However, Mohanan Kunnummal, Vice-Chancellor, KUHS, told The Hindu on Monday that the circular should be treated only as an advisory and not a directive. It was issued in response to a direction from the National Human Rights Commission where a complaint was lodged by a section of students some time ago. Mr. Kunnummal said the fee regulatory power in self-financing colleges rested with the government.
