Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) interns have demanded that their stipend be at par with that of Indian medical graduates.Across India, interns are protesting for a fair and uniform stipend. They said the disparity in stipends across states was unjust and was creating unrest among medical interns, ultimately affecting the functioning of hospitals and patient care.The Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) is a screening test conducted twice a year for Indian students who obtain medical degrees abroad. These graduates are required to clear the FMGE before they can practise in India. In addition to qualifying for the examination, they must complete a mandatory internship in India.Speaking to The Tribune, National President of the All India Medical Students’ Association (Foreign Medical Students’ Wing) Dr Jitendra Singh said, “Foreign medical graduate interns perform the same duties, work the same long hours, and serve the same patients. There should be no discrimination based on state, institution, or whether an intern is an Indian Medical Graduate or FMG. We urge the Government and the concerned authorities to take immediate action and establish a uniform national stipend for all MBBS interns across India.”He said several states did not pay stipends to FMGs.A delegation of doctors also met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to apprise him of the ongoing stipend issues faced by FMGs in Rajasthan. In the state, FMG interns are not paid stipends.In Manipur, FMGs interning at the state-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) and Churachandpur Medical College (CMC) have alleged that the government has not released their stipends since November 2025.Recently, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) submitted a representation to the National Medical Commission (NMC), highlighting disparities in stipends faced by FMGs compared with similarly placed Indian medical graduates. It demanded a uniform stipend for FMGs and Indian medical graduates undertaking the same internship/training and performing equivalent duties.Last month, the Health Ministry told Parliament that the NMC had issued circulars dated March 4, 2022, May 19, 2022, and July 7, 2023, clarifying that FMGs undergoing Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship (CRMI) are entitled to receive a stipend, which is to be determined and disbursed by the respective state government/state authorities.“Also, the Supreme Court has passed an interim order in W.P. © No. 793 of 2025 that FMGs are entitled to internship stipends at par with Indian students. The NMC has, vide its Public Notice dated 12.03.2026, reiterated the existing regulatory position, penal provisions and the directions of the Hon’ble Court to ensure strict compliance with the prescribed norms relating to the payment of stipend by all medical colleges, State Medical Councils and Directorates of Medical Education (DMEs),” the response to Parliament added.