Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Even after sharp observations from the Supreme Court and repeated reminders from the Union health ministry, the National Medical Commission has failed to enforce its own directions on payment of stipends to medical interns, with 65 medical colleges still yet to submit required details, according to an RTI reply.On October 28, 2025, the Supreme Court of India took note of a public notice issued earlier by the NMC on July 11, directing medical colleges to upload details of stipend payments to interns within seven days. The court observed that although the regulator had sought the information, it appeared to be “dragging its feet”, as no action seemed to have been taken against non-compliant institutions. The bench expressed hope that the NMC would act on its own warning at least by the next date of hearing.Following the court’s observations, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare wrote to the NMC on November 3, asking it to examine the matter and take appropriate action. With no response forthcoming, the ministry sent a reminder on December 16.Earlier, in its July 11 public notice, the NMC had warned that failure to comply with directions on stipend disclosure would attract regulatory action, including show-cause notices, financial penalties, withdrawal of course recognition and suspension of admissions.Responding to queries, NMC officials said that out of 764 medical colleges in the country, 595 are eligible to train interns and are required to pay stipends. Around 560 colleges have submitted stipend details, while about 35 remain in default. Officials said the commission has issued multiple reminders, filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court on November 11, 2025, and issued a show-cause notice on November 3, 2025, warning of action under the NMC Act. They added that responses from defaulting colleges are being examined and a final list will be placed before the Undergraduate Medical Education Board for action as per rules.However, the RTI reply dated January 19 stated that about 65 medical colleges were yet to furnish stipend details. The reply did not clarify whether this higher number reflected an earlier stage of data compilation or included institutions not eligible to train interns.RTI activist Dr Babu KV, however, said the RTI response does not indicate that any regulatory action has been initiated so far against defaulting colleges, despite the Supreme Court’s observations and repeated communications from the health ministry.
