In a significant move, the National Medical Council (NMC) has announced that all post-graduate (PG) medical students will receive stipends equal to those of state-run medical colleges in their respective areas. This announcement was made public through a gazette notice on Thursday, January 4.
This regulation will stop the ongoing dispute over the disparities in stipend amounts paid to PG students in government and private medical institutions.
For example, in Maharashtra, a postgraduate student from a government medical college receives nearly INR 80,000 per month, while in private medical colleges, this reduces to half of it. In other states as well, private institutions pay nearly half of what government medical colleges are paid.
The announcement has been welcomed by many. The notification's clarification of the stipend is expected to be a relief for PG students at private colleges.
The Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (PGMER-23), which are applicable to medical schools all over India, also standardise other aspects of PG medical education. These include paid leaves for both academic and casual reasons, weekly off, and daily rest periods for PG students. They will receive 20 paid leaves in total. Additionally, they will receive five paid days of academic leave and a week off.
The notification further adds, "All PG students will work as full-time resident doctors." They will be given appropriate time off each day in addition to working respectable hours.
Another significant point from the PGMER-23 is the extension of the district residency programme's duration from two to three months. All postgraduate students pursuing an MD or MS in a wide range of specialisations at all medical colleges are required to complete a three-month residential rotation in district hospitals.
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