Hyderabad: A protest over a Rs 12,300 monthly stipend in Jammu and Kashmir has brought a wider issue facing medical interns across India into focus:
How much should doctors be paid during their compulsory internship?
Medical interns protest for higher stipend
MBBS and BDS interns in J&K have announced a strike from August 31, demanding an increase of their stipend from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000 a month. The demand has also received support from the All-India Dental Students and Surgeons Association (AIDSA).
But the issue is not confined to J&K. In Uttar Pradesh, MBBS and BDS interns recently protested for a similar increase, with interns at institutions demanding that their stipend be raised from Rs 12,000 to Rs 30,000.
On August 25, the UP Cabinet approved a hike to Rs 25,000 a month, benefiting around 3,928 interns.
Why are interns asking for more?
Medical internship is a compulsory period of clinical training after completing the MBBS or BDS course.
Interns work in hospital departments including outpatient departments, emergency services, wards, operation theatres and other clinical areas under supervision.
Does work match the stipend?
For many interns, the issue is that their designation as trainees does not mean they are disconnected from day-to-day patient care.
In a recent protest at Lucknow, interns said they work 8–12 hours a day while receiving Rs 12,000 a month, which works out to around Rs 400 a day. They demanded Rs 30,000, or approximately Rs 1,000 a day.
The demand has therefore become a question of whether internship stipends adequately reflect the workload and cost of living faced by young doctors.
There is no single stipend across India
One of the biggest problems is that medical internship stipends vary considerably between states and institutions.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) requires medical colleges to disclose the stipend paid to MBBS interns and postgraduate residents. Its website provides a dedicated section for details of stipends paid by medical colleges.
The NMC has also directed medical institutions to disclose their fee structure and stipend details publicly. Non-compliance can invite regulatory action, including financial penalties and, in certain circumstances, action affecting recognition or admissions.
This means two students completing essentially the same compulsory clinical training can receive very different amounts depending on where they study.
Why Rs 12,000–Rs 12,300 has become a flashpoint
The figure is particularly contentious because several states have revised their stipends while others have retained older rates.
In Uttar Pradesh, for example, the government has now doubled the stipend from Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000.
The latest increase follows protests by interns and is the state’s second hike since 2021.
Meanwhile, an RTI response reported in June showed that the Centre was reviewing the MBBS internship stipend after a four-year gap. Interns at Central Government medical colleges and AIIMS institutions had reportedly not received a revision since January 2022.
The result is a patchwork system in which compensation can depend heavily on the state or institution.
What does the NMC regulate?
The NMC’s role is important because internship is not optional employment that a medical graduate can simply skip. It is part of the pathway to completing medical training.
The Commission monitors whether institutions are complying with requirements relating to payment and disclosure of stipends.
In March 2026, the NMC issued a notice specifically concerning non-compliance with directions on disclosure and payment of stipends to MBBS interns and postgraduate residents.
However, the existence of NMC oversight does not translate into one uniform stipend amount for every intern in the country.
That is at the heart of the current debate.
Is the demand for Rs 30,000 a national issue?
The recent protests suggest that it is increasingly becoming one.
Interns in different states are comparing their stipends with those paid elsewhere, particularly as differences become more visible.
In J&K, for instance, interns have pointed to higher stipends in other parts of the country while seeking a revision of their own Rs 12,300 stipend.
The demand is therefore no longer simply ‘increase our stipend.’
It is also about whether India needs a more consistent and transparent framework for compensating medical interns, especially when they undergo compulsory clinical training and contribute to patient-care services.
