Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Oct 25: Despite the provision of stipend to Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in line with the National Medical Council (NMC) guidelines, FMGs interning in various Medical Colleges across J&K have yet to receive their stipends.
With nearly 350 FMGs currently in the Union Territory, they were accommodated by the Government through the allocation of necessary seats in new Medical Colleges as a one-time measure. However, regarding their stipends, there has been no progress.
One FMG expressed, “There is a provision for our stipends as per the NMC directives, but it has been left to the respective authorities to determine and provide the stipends. So far, we have not received any stipend.”
According to NMC directives, FMGs should receive stipend and other facilities equivalent to those provided to Indian Medical Graduates in States and Union Territories.
Officials explained that, considering the significant number of FMGs, they are unable to provide stipend due to the substantial financial implications involved.
“We currently have the highest number of FMGs in J&K. Initially, accommodating them for the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) was already a challenge,” said one official. “But we made the necessary adjustments. However, now, providing them stipends comes with financial implications.”
In a circular issued in May of this year, the NMC acknowledged that various State Governments, Union Territories and Medical Colleges had indicated that there was no budgetary provision in their annual allocations to provide stipends to Foreign Medical Graduates.
The NMC clarified, “The amount of stipend to be paid to the interns is to be decided/fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the Institution/University or State,” leaving the implementation of these guidelines to the discretion of the concerned State authorities.
It’s worth noting that earlier when FMGs passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), the number of qualified doctors far exceeded the available seats.
In response, authorities took necessary measures as a one-time solution, and these doctors were allocated seats through counseling conducted by the University of Kashmir based on their score in FMGE.
Individuals familiar with the situation informed that some Medical Colleges have approached the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department to secure budgetary provision for FMG stipends. However, they noted that authorities are currently unwilling to ensure the same.
Officials from the J&K Medical Council, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed that there is a provision for FMG stipends, with the expectation that these stipends will be managed by the concerned Medical Colleges using their budgetary allocations.
However, it has been informed that the H&ME Department is yet to allocate a budget for the Medical Colleges accommodating FMGs for CRMI, resulting in the issue to persist.
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