New Delhi: In a major development following the Supreme Court’s strong observations over the non-payment of stipends to MBBS interns, the Union Health Ministry has directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to take immediate and appropriate action against defaulting medical colleges and institutions across the country.
The Ministry’s directive came after health activist Dr. K.V. Babu wrote to Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on November 3, referring to the Supreme Court’s order dated October 28, 2025. The Apex Court had earlier expressed its displeasure over the NMC’s inaction, remarking that the Commission must “wake up from its slumber” and ensure compliance with its previous notice issued in July 2025.
Supreme Court’s Observations
During the recent hearing, the Supreme Court noted that although the NMC had instructed medical colleges to submit details of stipends paid to interns, no concrete action was taken against institutions that failed to comply. The Court directed the NMC to file an affidavit enclosing a list of medical colleges that had furnished stipend details within two weeks.
The Court also reminded the Union Health Ministry to ensure that the NMC acts as per its July 2025 communication, which warned that non-compliance with stipend disclosure norms would lead to show-cause notices, financial penalties, suspension of admissions, or withdrawal of course recognition.
Ministry’s Directive to NMC
Responding promptly, the Health Ministry has written to NMC Secretary Dr. Raghav Langer, stating,
“You are requested to examine the subject matter and take appropriate action at your end.”
Health activist Dr. Babu confirmed the development to Medical Dialogues, saying, “The Ministry has forwarded my communication to the NMC to ensure enforcement of its July 2025 notice. The notice clearly specifies that failure to report stipend details will attract regulatory action under relevant NMC regulations.”
Background of NMC’s July Directive
On July 11, 2025, the NMC had issued a directive to all medical colleges to publish complete course-wise fee structures and stipend details for MBBS interns, Junior Residents (JRs), and Senior Residents (SRs) on their official websites. A Google Form was also created for uniform data submission and monitoring.
The NMC had warned that failure to comply would invite action under:
- Regulations 30 and 31 of the Establishment of Medical Institutions, Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023,
- Regulation 8 of the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023, and
- Regulations 9.1 and 9.2 of the PGIMER 2023.
Previous Action by NMC
Last year, in November 2024, the NMC had issued show-cause notices to 198 medical colleges for not uploading stipend details for interns and residents. The Commission had described the lapse as “serious non-compliance” and warned that continued violations could result in stringent regulatory penalties.
Supreme Court’s Previous Intervention
The stipend issue gained national attention when the Supreme Court, in its April 2025 judgment (State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. vs. Miss Bhavna Towari & Ors.), ruled that all private and deemed universities must disclose complete fee and stipend details at the pre-counselling stage.
During the October 2025 hearing, the Court further reprimanded the NMC for failing to enforce these requirements, particularly after reports suggested that over 70% of medical colleges in India were not paying stipends to MBBS interns.
The Supreme Court has now granted the NMC two weeks to submit a compliance affidavit, detailing the list of medical colleges that have disclosed stipend information and the actions taken against defaulters.
