Karnataka Resident Doctorsโ Association members duiring a protest in Bengaluru on August 12, 2024 demanding pay parity.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed that the pay scale structure of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi be adopted for interns, postgraduate students, super-specialty students, and medical college teachers to ensure equity and fairness in compensation, promote job satisfaction and attract high-quality faculty and students.
The National Task Force on Mental Health and Well-Being of Medical Students of the NMC said in its report, โIn alignment with UGC pay scales and AICTE pay scales regulations, we propose the AIIMS, New Delhi pay scale for all medicos.โ It stated that standardising pay scales, retirement, and rotational headship policies across institutions would ensure equity and attract high quality faculty.
Prohibiting private practice for medical teachers and providing non-practising allowances can maintain the quality and integrity of education, it added.
The task force said that standardised salaries simplify administrative processes, enhance transparency, and reduce potential unfair practices like ghost faculty. It added that the current retirement policy should be standardised and recommended implementing a rotational headship system for department heads to introduce new ideas and practices, and prevent toxic environments under inefficient leadership.
The national task force was set up to assess the mental health and well-being of medical students in India and to suggest remedial measures. Initially, the force conducted a comprehensive review of scientific literature, which revealed a significant gap in systematic research on the risk factors and effectiveness of interventions for medical students who attempt or commit suicide.
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The task force has submitted some general recommendations and recommendations for identification of high risk groups, including students living with mental illness. The report highlights that insufficient stipends that donโt match living costs or workload, coupled with delays in payments, create significant financial instability for medical students. Academic and work stress are also triggers, it said.
Among its various recommendations, the task force has suggested constituting mentor-mentee programmes to provide guidance and professional development opportunities. โThese programmes should involve regular meetings, training for mentors, and support for mentees. At the national level, a permanent member of the National Medical Commissionโs (NMC) Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) should serve as the nodal person to ensure the implementation of these recommendations,โ the report said.
