Medical interns across several states have protested over low stipends and long working hours in recent weeks, prompting governments in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand to announce hikes. The protests have also highlighted sharp variations in the stipends paid to interns undertaking broadly similar clinical responsibilities.In Jammu and Kashmir, MBBS and BDS interns launched an indefinite protest on August 31, demanding that their monthly stipend be increased from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000. They also flagged duties extending up to 36 hours. The interns later suspended the strike after the government assured them that the stipend would be revised within a month.Madhya Pradesh interns, who were demanding an increase from Rs 14,337 to Rs 30,000, secured a 50 per cent hike following protests in Bhopal, including a water-cannon action by the police. Their monthly stipend has now been raised to Rs 21,500.Uttar Pradesh has doubled the stipend for MBBS and BDS interns from Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000. The decision, approved by the state Cabinet on August 25, is expected to benefit around 3,928 interns in government medical colleges, state-run medical institutions and medical universities.Bihar had earlier increased the monthly stipend for MBBS interns in government medical colleges from Rs 20,000 to Rs 27,000. The revised amount was also extended to Foreign Medical Graduate interns, while similar revisions were announced for dental and other medical streams.On Friday, the Bihar government also raised the stipend for postgraduate medical students from Rs 82,000 to Rs 92,800 for first-year students, while the second-year stipend was increased from Rs 90,200 to Rs 1,02,000.Uttarakhand has also agreed to raise the stipend for MBBS interns following protests. Interns, who were receiving Rs 17,000 a month, had demanded Rs 30,000. The government has agreed to increase it to Rs 25,000, following which the interns called off their strike.Story continues below this adDr Amisha Sachdeva, an MBBS intern in Uttarakhand, said the revised amount was a relief, although it fell short of the original demand. “We were not expecting that they would do it, but Rs 25,000 is good enough. We would not strike for Rs 30,000 now,” she said.Sachdeva, 25, said managing basic expenses on Rs 17,000 a month was difficult and that she had to seek Rs 5,000-6,000 from her parents this month.“Food is expensive, and in the hospital, you don’t have fixed lunch or dinner times. You just eat whatever you can find, which costs more than regular mess fees,” she said.The basic mess at her college costs around Rs 40,000-45,000 a year, excluding milk and fruits, while the hostel fee is around Rs 5,000 a year, she said. The revised stipend will be received in full, with the hostel fee paid separately.Story continues below this adSachdeva said the financial strain is particularly difficult for students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds. “Some are expected to take the financial burden; however, the stipend we get is not sufficient to support a family,” she said.The stipend hike has come amid demanding duty schedules. Uttarakhand interns have morning, evening and night duties, Sachdeva said, while interns in Uttar Pradesh do not have night duties.“Every doctor I talk to mentions how heavily burdened they are,” she said, adding that the workload also involves considerable emotional labour.The financial pressure also extends to postgraduate preparation. Sachdeva said MBBS graduates preparing for NEET-PG may spend Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000 a year on coaching.Story continues below this ad“If you take a drop year to prepare, your family still has to support you. You can’t save enough from this stipend to sustain yourself during a drop year,” she said.PG students flag stagnant stipendThe disparity extends beyond undergraduate internships. Postgraduate medical students in Uttarakhand receive around Rs 62,000 a month, according to doctors from the state, with the amount remaining unchanged for around a decade.The state has recently witnessed protests by postgraduate students, senior residents and MBBS interns over stipend-related issues.Dr Rajdeep Singh, a postgraduate medical student at Government Medical College, Haldwani, said the state had revised the MBBS intern stipend twice in the last five years, while PG stipends had not seen a similar revision for around 10 years.Story continues below this ad“My internship stipend had been Rs 7,500 before it was increased to Rs 17,000 following a strike. We work 36-hour shifts and are paid not enough to sustain ourselves,” he said.Singh said several students in his batch had taken loans to fund their MBBS education and were concerned about repaying them while pursuing postgraduate education and starting their careers.Long working hours, clerical work add to burdenThe issue, however, is not limited to the amount paid. Doctors and medical student bodies have also raised concerns over the working hours and workload expected from interns and postgraduate trainees.In several government hospitals, interns and PG residents work extended shifts covering OPDs, wards, emergency departments, labour rooms, operation theatres and other clinical services. Doctors have pointed to 24- to 36-hour duties, particularly in hospitals facing staff shortages.Story continues below this adDr Vishwanath, an intern at Pushpagiri Medical College and former Kerala state convener of the Indian Medical Association Students’ Network, said interns can spend four to five hours of a 10- to 12-hour shift on clerical work, including insurance forms and discharge summaries.He said understaffing can also result in interns being assigned tasks normally handled by nurses or attendants. Long working hours, he said, leave interns with less time for clinical learning and preparation for postgraduate entrance examinations.Dr Singh also flagged the amount of paperwork undertaken by interns and residents. “If a patient has been admitted under the government scheme, the paperwork is our job. We have to get the discharge papers done, their insurance papers and other things. This, unfortunately, takes away from our core role,” he said.In Kerala, government medical colleges pay interns around Rs 28,000 a month along with accommodation, Vishwanath said. In some private medical colleges, however, accommodation-related charges and other deductions can substantially reduce the amount received by interns, with some taking home between Rs 5,000 and Rs 18,000, he said.Story continues below this adThe Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) has called for a uniform national minimum stipend of Rs 30,000 a month for MBBS interns in both government and private institutions. It has also sought annual revision of stipends, transparent online reporting of payments, a grievance redressal mechanism and penalties for institutions that delay or fail to pay stipends.Dr Meet Ghonia, FORDA, National General Secretary, said: “We have been receiving complaints of delays, deductions, and non-payment, and therefore we urge stronger monitoring. While the framework exists, implementation and enforcement need significant strengthening.”NMC framework allows state-wise variationThe National Medical Commission (NMC) requires medical colleges to disclose stipend details. However, under the current framework, the stipend for MBBS interns is fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution, university or state. This allows substantial differences in stipend levels across states and institutions.The Supreme Court is separately hearing a batch of petitions concerning non-payment of stipends to medical interns across the country.Story continues below this adIn its October 28, 2025 order, the court noted that the matter concerned “non-payment of stipend to intern-doctors by Medical Colleges/Institutions across the country”. It also recorded that the NMC had issued a public notice on July 11, 2025, directing medical colleges and institutions to furnish details of stipend payments and warning that non-compliance could invite action.The court expressed concern over the NMC’s follow-up, observing that the regulator appeared to be “dragging its feet without having any serious concern” and said it hoped the NMC would “wake up from its slumber and take appropriate steps”. It directed the NMC to file an affidavit containing the list of medical colleges that had furnished stipend details.The NMC’s FAQ on the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship Regulations also states that the stipend is to be fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution, university or state.RTI activist Dr KV Babu told indianexpress.com the issue of stipend parity had remained pending with the government and NMC for more than four years.“The government clearly wrote to NMC in December last year to consider an amendment to regulations to bring stipend parity. Though UGMEB replied in February 2026 about the need for an amendment, NMC is yet to start the process, as per the RTI response,” he said.Babu has been pursuing both the issue of non-payment of stipends to interns and the disparity in stipend rates between medical colleges.The recent protests have therefore brought into focus not just the amount paid to medical interns but also the absence of a uniform stipend floor, long working hours and the administrative burden placed on trainees during their clinical training.