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After passing the NEET PG examination, which is considered to be the most difficult and prestigious stage of the Indian medical education system and the career of medical students, when a young doctor enters any medical college or hospital of the country as a Junior Resident, then he has many questions and expectations in his mind regarding the stipend he will receive along with his studies. After long day and night duty, stress of ICU, ever increasing crowd of patients and working continuously in the hospital for 24 to 36 hours, the monthly honorarium received by these young doctors is a huge financial support for their hard work. But there is a huge disparity in the amount of stipend received in different states and central institutions of the country, due to which many times the question arises in the minds of students that in which state is the highest paid during medical PG. Despite the guidelines of the National Medical Commission (NMC), there is a huge difference in the amount received due to the budget and rules decided by the state governments in different states of the country. Let us know in this detailed and special report that in which state of the country, doctors get the highest stipend while studying for NEET PG and how is its entire system.
Struggle of junior residents after NEET PG and importance of mandatory stipend
When a student, after completing MBBS degree, takes admission in a medical college through the counseling process of NEET PG to pursue a specialization degree like MD or MS, he becomes a full-time junior doctor of that hospital along with being a student. This study of Medical PG is completely different from other ordinary post-graduation courses, because in this, along with the books, the students have to take direct responsibility of saving the lives of the patients in the emergency, wards and operation theaters of the hospitals. During this time, they spend most of the day in hospital service, due to which they cannot earn their livelihood by working part-time elsewhere. This is why the stipend they receive every month from the government is considered very important for their living, book expenses and mental stability, so that they can concentrate on their studies and treatment of patients with full devotion without any financial stress.
Huge disparity between states: Current status of stipends in different parts of the country
This rule of the National Medical Commission (NMC) clearly states that all resident doctors working in a medical college should get the same stipend as the equivalent doctors of that state or institute, but the ground reality seems to be quite different from this. Barring a few selected states and union territories of the country, even today, in most of the states, the monthly honorarium received by junior residents is very less in comparison to their hard work and working hours. For example, while in some southern and western states of the country, the stipend amount has reached around Rs 1 lakh per month, in many north-eastern and central Indian states, PG students still have to be content with very low honorarium. Regarding this economic inequality, the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) has been continuously demanding for the last several years that the policy of ‘One Nation, One Stipend’ should be implemented in the entire country so that every doctor can get equal justice according to his ability and hard work.
In which state is the highest stipend available? Know which states and institutions are included on the top
When it comes to which state or institute in the country gives the highest stipend, then the institutes under the central government like AIIMS, Safdarjung, and JIPMER come on top, where the first year resident gets a salary ranging from around Rs 1.10 lakh to Rs 1.20 lakh per month. If we talk at the state level, then even in the medical colleges under Delhi Government, PG students are provided the highest stipend starting from around Rs 1.11 lakh and increasing with seniority. Apart from this, even in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, the state governments have increased the stipend amount to a great extent by revising their budgets in recent years, which has brought great relief to the students there. On the contrary, there are many states where even today the amount of stipend is limited to between Rs 50 thousand to Rs 70 thousand, due to which there is constant resentment among the medical students there.
Why has the demand for increase in stipend become necessary amid inflation and heavy work pressure?
In today’s era, studying medical PG is no less than an ordeal, where students have to work under extreme mental and physical pressure. The cost of living in big cities, expensive medical journals, research projects and managing family responsibilities while living on a low stipend becomes a cause of mental depression for many young doctors. Health experts and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have repeatedly said that unless a system of uniform and respectable stipend is implemented for doctors in all the states of the country, the morale of these young doctors, who are called the backbone of the country’s health system, will not remain completely high. There is a need for the Central Government and health departments of various states to come together to formulate a concrete policy on this serious subject, so that no medical student has to face financial crisis.
Future expectations and new government guidelines for medical students
It is a matter of relief that after the increasing intervention of the Supreme Court and the National Medical Commission, now many states of the country are gradually taking positive steps towards revising the stipend of their medical students. Now in many states, a rule is being made to automatically increase the stipend every year on the basis of Consumer Price Index (CPI), so that doctors can get financial security according to inflation. Lakhs of youth across the country preparing for NEET PG, who work hard day and night to get these medical seats, hope that in the coming time, they will definitely get a fair and respectable reward for their hard work. Overall, the stipend received during medical PG studies is not just a salary, but it is the respect of the society and the government towards the future specialist doctors of the country who put everything at stake to protect our health.