Several medical colleges in the country are charging internship fees from Indian and foreign medical graduate (FMG) graduate interns allegedly violating the guidelines of the National Medical Commission (NMC), the highest body that monitors medical education system MBBS students across states and union territories.

Worried about this illegal practice of taking internship fees from MBBS students during their internship programme after the final semester, the NMC has alerted all medical colleges, both in public and private sectors, directing them to take necessary action as soon as possible.

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The commission has issued a directive in this regard to all state medical councils and directorates of medical education on 19 May.

“It has been brought into the notice of the National Medical Commission through various sources that some medical colleges/ institutes across the country are charging internship fee from interns, Indian and foreign medical graduates for doing their internship in their colleges/ institutes and also not paying stipend to them,” according to a directive issued by the commission.

“All state medical councils and directorates of medical education are requested to kindly take immediate necessary action in this regard and ensure that no internship fee is charged by the medical colleges/ institutes from these interns (Indian and foreign medical graduates and stipend, including other facilities is being provided to FMGs as equivalent to Indian medical graduates in the states/UTs,” it stated.

The commission has also warned medical colleges that are choosing a limited number of rural health centres for the purpose of internship training, causing crowding of interns at one centre.

“… It has been observed that due to the paucity of rural centres adopted by college authorities, a large number of interns are posted in one rural centre. Therefore, the college authorities are advised to adopt more rural centres to accommodate internship training and also provide residential accommodation or transportation (to and from rural centres) to these interns at the cost of college authorities,” according to the NMC directive.