NEW DELHI, June 5: The long-running controversy over stipend payments to medical interns and resident doctors came under the scanner of the Supreme Court on Friday, with the National Medical Commission (NMC) placing fresh data before the court on the status of stipend disbursement across medical colleges in the country.
During the hearing, the NMC informed the apex court that stipend-related grievances were not reported in 573 of the 756 undergraduate medical colleges surveyed. However, the commission identified seven medical colleges where stipends were allegedly not being paid and stated that show-cause notices had already been issued to the institutions concerned.
In a significant development, the Supreme Court appointed Dr. Charu Mathur, National Legal Advisor of the United Doctors Front (UDF), as the Nodal Counsel to assist in the compilation and scrutiny of pleadings, charts, data and submissions placed before the court by various stakeholders.
The appointment is expected to streamline the examination of records and assist the court in assessing the extent of stipend-related irregularities before taking further action.
Welcoming the proceedings, UDF Chairperson Dr. Lakshya Mittal said the issue impacts thousands of medical students, interns and resident doctors across the country.
He described the appointment of a nodal counsel as an important step towards a structured review of the matter and said the organisation would continue to push for transparency and uniform implementation of stipend norms in medical institutions.
The stipend dispute has emerged as a major concern among young doctors, with several organisations alleging disparities in payments and non-compliance with prescribed norms in some medical colleges.
The matter is currently under judicial consideration before the Supreme Court.
