Supreme Court Seeks Responses on Plea Over Unpaid Stipends to Foreign Medical Interns in Gujarat

Overview

• A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P.B. Varale issued notice on November 28 to the National Medical Commission, the Gujarat government, the Gujarat Medical Council and GMERS, tagging the case with similar pending matters.
• The petition by the All India Parents Association Belarus Medical Students, filed through advocate Tanvi Dubey, alleges that foreign medical graduates interning in Gujarat receive no stipend.
• Citing Clause 3 of Schedule IV of the NMC’s 2021 internship regulations and NMC circulars from 2022 and 2023, the plea says all interns are entitled to a stipend set by the competent authority and that FMGs should be paid on par with Indian graduates.
• Petitioners claim interns were pressured to sign undertakings waiving stipend claims and say representations to state authorities, including the chief minister’s office, produced no remedial action.
• The court’s action follows earlier directions to the NMC to disclose stipend compliance, with recent criticism for non-compliance, while the current plea seeks regular monthly payments with retrospective effect and interest on arrears.