Supreme Court mandates equal stipends for all medical graduates

The Supreme Court of India has directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to ensure that all medical graduates, including foreign medical graduates (FMGs), receive stipends on par with Indian medical graduates. A bench comprising Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice M. Pancholi questioned the NMC and various states regarding the failure of several colleges to pay stipends to FMGs in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, and Jharkhand.

The court indicated it may issue comprehensive directions to mandate equal stipend payments for all undergraduate medical graduates regardless of nationality. The bench also noted it would investigate whether state governments need to appoint retired judges specifically to address the non-payment of stipends. This follows submissions from petitioners alleging that a significant percentage of colleges fail to pay interns, despite the NMC's claim that only a small number of institutions were non-compliant.