NMC issues new guidelines to avoid 'fleecing’ of MBBS students

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 9

Days after some private medical colleges in Punjab had collected Rs 1.5 crore from 40 final year MBBS students in the name of “providing them with NOC” and allowing them to do a one-year-internship from other medical colleges, the National Medical Commission (NMC) in its Draft Regulations for Compulsory Rotating Internship has mandated that every MBBS student shall complete their entire period of Compulsory Rotating Internship in the institution where they have pursued and completed their MBBS.

Opposing the collection of funds from the students to allow them internships from other medical colleges in the state, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) had approached the NMC.

In its fresh guidelines for the rotating internship, the NMC has stated that foreign medical graduates who require completing a period of internship shall do so only in medical colleges which are approved for providing internship to Indian medical students. For this reason, the medical colleges may admit up to 7.5 per cent of their permitted annual intake of MBBS seats applicable to that batch of interns to accommodate internships by foreign medical graduates.

In a letter to the NMC, the BFUHS had termed the collection of the fee, up to Rs 3 lakh per student by some medical institutions in the state for allowing them internship in other medical colleges, as “fleecing” of students. The BFUHS had come across many cases where students from private institutions were forced to pay a heavy fee to shift to other institutions for their internship.

To give “NOC” to these students for internships in other colleges, some parent colleges had forced students to pay up to Rs 3 lakh per student. These students were also made to pay Rs 60,000 for “NOC” to college where they want to join the internship.

Allowing this shifting or migration of students for internship was against medical principles and rules,” said Dr Raj Bahadur, VC, BFUHS.

Regarding stipend, the NMC has noted that all interns shall be paid stipend as fixed by the appropriate fee fixation authority applicable to the Institution/university/ state.