The National Medical Commission (NMC), sole body monitoring medical education in the country, has threatened to take penal action against around 198 medical colleges across states and Union territories (UTs), including nine from Bengal for non-submission of details in connection with stipend paid to junior doctors like interns, postgraduate trainee (PGT) residents and senior residents during the financial year 2023-2024.
The medical colleges from West Bengal are Medical College Hospital (MCH), Barasat Government Medical College Hospital, Prafulla Chandra Sen Government Medical College Hospital, College of Medicine and Sagar Dutta Hospital, Purulia Government Medical College Hospital, Raiganj Government Medical College Hospital, JNM Medical College, JIS School of Medical Science & Research and ICARE Institute of Medical Science & Research.
The NMC has directed deans and principals of these medical colleges to submit the report related to payment of stipends to the interns, PGT and senior residents of super specialist departments in teaching hospitals within three days after receiving the show-cause letter.
On 28 November, Dr B Srinivas, NMC secretary, issued the show-cause notice to the 198 government and private medical colleges seeking clarifications on why penal actions won’t be taken against them for their failure to submit information related to stipend paid to the junior medics every month.
The West Bengal government pays around Rs 31,000 per month to MBBS interns while the first year PGTs, second year PGTs and third year PGTs Rs 48,134, Rs 52,000 and Rs 56,000 respectively in state-run medical colleges.
“We have seen the show-cause notice served by the NMC on 28 November. We have already sent the reports of stipends given to the junior doctors in our college in April. We will submit an updated report again within a couple of days to the commission. I don’t know why did the NMC ask for the reports again?,” Prof (Dr) Partha Pratim Pradhan, principal of the state-run College of Medicine and Sagar Dutta Hospital in Kamarhati of North 24-Parganas district, told The Statesman on Friday.