Private Colleges Threaten Students for Demanding Stipends
A parent of one of the interns said the college management was coercing the students to write an apology letter, make a self-declaration video saying that this was an internal matter of the college and that they apologise for publicising it.
Hyderabad: Around 64 house surgeons working at Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Sciences were suspended by the college management for protesting against non-payment of stipends. According to the interns, the management has threatened them to hold back their certificates for all the five years and extend their duty hours from eight hours to 36.
A parent of one of the interns said the college management was coercing the students to write an apology letter, make a self-declaration video saying that this was an internal matter of the college and that they apologise for publicising it.
“The interns are so scared after this incident that they are refusing to speak openly. On July 2, while the country was celebrating Doctors Day, these interns were being harassed by the police for holding a silent protest,” said Dr Praveen, TJUDA member.
“The interns of many colleges have been protesting for the past couple of months. Some of the colleges have asked for time to resolve these issues. With some assurance from the management, the interns in those colleges stopped their protests. Chalmeda institute, however, has resorted to threats and coercion,” said Dr D. Ajay Kumar Goud, general secretary, TJUDA.
Most of the interns have received not more than Rs 4,000- Rs 5,000 as stipend. Chalmeda institute has allegedly not paid a single paisa to interns who are the backbone of all hospitals, taking up most of the work.
When students questioned the management about stipends, the management responded by citing GO 489 dated 05/09/2003, issued by the government of undivided Andhra Pradesh, that stated that the college could collect Rs 25,000 from students in Rs 5,000 installments for five years and dispense the same as stipends during internship.
As per the latest National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines and GO 107 dated 28/07/2023, issued by the state government, private medical institutions are required to pay stipends on par with government institutions.
In November 2024, the NMC had also flagged around 13 other colleges for not submitting details regarding payment of stipends.
Another violation that the interns and parents have pointed out is the excess fee that private colleges have extracted from them. A parent submitted a representation to the NMC regarding the issue. The institutions are reportedly charging ₹11,55,000 per annum for five years under the B-Category MBBS admissions, totaling ₹57,75,000.
GO 5 issued on 27.01.2022 and the fee structure approved by the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) fix the MBBS course fee at ₹51,97,500 — payable in five equal annual instalments of ₹10,39,500 each. The excess amount of ₹5,77,500, equal to an additional six months’ fee, being extracted by colleges adds unjust financial burden on students and their families, it was pointed out.