SC issues notice to Army College of Medical Science over non payment of stipend to interns

Supreme Court has issued notice to the Army College of Medical Science over a plea against non-payment of the stipend in the medical college to MBBS students undergoing a one-year internship in an Army base hospital.

Army College of Medical Science got a notice from Supreme Court over a plea seeking directions against the medical college for not paying the stipend to MBBS students undergoing compulsory one-year internship in the Army base hospital.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli issued the notice and asked the counsel of the Army College of Medical Science, Mr Balaji Srinivasan, to look into the issue.

"Mr Bala, these are students who have completed their MBBS from the Army College of Medical Science and they do not get any stipend," said the bench, as reported by Live Law.

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The petition says, most of these medical students are not residents of Delhi and they have to arrange for food, accommodation and other expenses when they are undergoing the compulsory internship at the Army College of Medical Science. If the stipend is not paid, it will not be possible for these students to sustain themselves in Delhi. 

It appears that apart from the regular work, these students had taken up COVID duties. The EMI for the education loans taken by the students, who have now completed their MBBS has also commenced from April 2022, added the petition.

The plea highlighted that the students are also required to travel for their rural postings in Najafgarh, yet, they are being denied the basic monthly stipend by the medical college. The petition seeks directions to the respondent college to provide a regular monthly stipend to the petitioners for the entire period of their internship.

Read more:

• NMC issues circular against illegal internship fees and non-payment of stipends to interns
• MIMSR Medical College & YCR Hospital interns withdraw services due to non-payment of stipends