Private medical college managements in the State are unlikely to abide by the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) recent directive to pay stipend to medical interns on a par with what is being given in government medical colleges.
The KUHS Registrar had directed principals of all affiliated self-financing medical colleges and dental colleges on March 21 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”.
“Further complaints, if any, received regarding non-payment of stipend to the students will be treated seriously by the university,” the circular said. Medical interns in government colleges are getting ₹26,300 as stipend, while private colleges are accused of giving a paltry sum.
Since the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) guidelines on this are apparently vague, medical professionals were left wondering if the university has stepped in to enforce its authority to end the alleged discrimination in payment of stipend in private medical colleges. The regulations just say that “all interns shall be paid stipend as fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution/University or State.”
Anil Kumar Vallil, functionary of the Kerala Private Medical College Managements’ Association, told The Hindu on Saturday that the tuition fee being paid by students in self-financing colleges was being determined based on the expenditure incurred by each institution. “Payment of stipend is not considered while calculating the fee. If we are supposed to pay stipend on a par with government medical colleges, the tution fee will have to be revised,” he said.
Mr. Vallil said this was not the payment for an employment but something part and parcel of the medical course. “What is being paid in private medical colleges in Kerala is higher than the amount given in other States. If the university takes a tough stand, we will seek legal recourse,” he said.
Meanwhile, K.V. Babu, Kannur-based ophthalmologist and RTI activist, alleged that the Centre government was playing a hide-and-seek game on the issue. “When Binoy Viswam, Rajya Sabha MP, sought a reply from the Centre, the Union Health Ministry just sought the opinion of the National Medical Commission. The government should have directed the commission to ensure that a uniform stipend is paid. The students are at the receiving end,” he added.
