Parity in stipends, paid leaves in new PG medical regulations

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has introduced reforms in postgraduate medical education, including equal stipends for PG students at private and state-run colleges, minimum casual leave, and residential accommodation. The regulations also outline penalties for non-compliance and address seat reservations and the establishment of academic cells. The NMC has postponed the National Exit Test (NExT) until further notice. PG students in private medical colleges have long complained about lower stipends compared to government medical colleges.

Mumbai: Now, stipends paid to postgraduate (PG) students at private medical colleges will have to be on par with the amount paid at state-run colleges which is ₹50k-70k per month. In addition to this, PG medical students will now be able to avail a minimum 20 days of casual leave per year and colleges will have to provide residential accommodation to PG students.

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These are some of the reforms made by the National Medical Commission (NMC) in postgraduate medical education through the release of the “Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023” (PGMER-23).

The regulations introduce six types of PG medical courses with varying durations, covering broad-speciality qualifications, super-speciality courses, diploma courses, and post-doctoral certificate courses. The eligibility criteria for pursuing PG broad-speciality courses align with the NMC, National Exit Test Regulations, 2023.

Last year on September 6, NMC sought input from stakeholders on draft guidelines for postgraduate medical courses. The resulting PGMER-23 regulations, unveiled after careful consideration of feedback and in-house discussions, were published in the official gazette on December 29 and made available on the NMC website on January 3.

Common counselling for admission to postgraduate medical courses in India will be conducted online by state or central counselling authorities, ensuring a merit-based selection process. Failure by medical colleges to disclose fee details in the seat matrix will result in the non-counting of seats.

The PGMER-23 regulations also outline penalties for non-compliance, with medical institutions facing a fine of ₹1 crore per seat for breaching regulations. A two-year admission ban may be imposed for continued non-compliance.

Additionally, the regulations address the reservation of seats for different categories as per state and Union Territory laws. Furthermore, 5% of annual sanctioned intake capacity in government or government-aided higher educational institutions will be reserved for candidates with benchmark disabilities.

Medical colleges can now apply for permission to start PG medical courses one year after receiving approval for undergraduate courses. Existing or proposed non-teaching hospitals owned by the government can commence postgraduate courses without having an undergraduate college, subject to meeting NMC’s norms and guidelines.

The PGMER-23 also emphasises the establishment of academic cells to monitor training programmes and ensure their quality. Postgraduate students will work as full-time resident doctors, with reasonable working hours and dedicated time for rest. A dynamic e-log book will track their progress, and postgraduate students will engage in thesis-related research.

A notable feature is the introduction of a compulsory residential rotation (District Residency Programme or DRP) of three months for MD or MS students in broad-specialties in district hospitals, providing hands-on experience.

In addition to paid leave, postgraduate medical students will be entitled to one weekly holiday and academic paid leave of five days per year. Maternity and paternity leave will be granted to female and male postgraduate students, respectively, in accordance with government rules.

The gazette also stated that the National Exit Test (NExT), initially slated to replace the NEET PG exam, has been postponed until further notice based on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The gazette stated that resident doctors will work reasonable working hours and will be provided with reasonable time for rest in a day. Dr Abhijit Helge state president, the central Maharashtra State Association for Resident Doctors (MARD) said, “Overall PGMER-23 is academically good and welcomed but this regulation clarified about the working hours of the resident doctors. There is no definition of reasonable time, so we want clarification on it.” Taking this point, Brijesh Sutaria, parent of a medical student said, “Many times junior doctors work 72 to 96 hours without break, so there must be clarity on working hours of the resident doctors. We are also hoping that PGMER-23 will be implemented and doesn’t remain on the paper.”

Past grievances have arisen from postgraduate (PG) students in private medical colleges who contend that their stipends fall significantly short of those offered by government medical colleges (GMC). According to one student, the disparity is stark, with GMC PG students in Maharashtra receiving nearly ₹80,000 per month, whereas their counterparts in private medical colleges receive stipends ranging from ₹20,000 to ₹50,000, and in some cases, no stipend at all. Similarly, in Karnataka, where GMCs provide ₹40,000 monthly, private colleges reportedly pay nearly half of that amount to their PG students.