Permit Foreign Medical Graduates To Complete Internship Without Insisting On Payment Of Fee: Kerala HC To Kottayam General Hospital

The Kerala High Court on Friday admitted the plea filed by at least 17 foreign medical graduates against the alleged charging of exorbitant amount of internship fees, and withholding of internship stipend by General Hospital, Kottayam.

Justice V.G. Arun, while admitting the plea and issuing notice to the respondents, said in the light of the orders passed in similar case, the authorities are directed to permit the petitioners to continue their internship without insisting for payment of internship fee. 

"On completion of internship ,the petitioners shall be issued completion certificate on their furnishing simple bond undertaking to pay the internship fee in case of any adverse orders being passed in this writ petition," the court said in the interim order.

In the plea moved through Advocates V.A. Haritha and Jeevan Rajeev, the petitioners, who are foreign medical graduates presently undergoing their internship as house surgeons with the General Hospital, Kottayam, have alleged that there has been an illegal levy of internship fee and non-disbursement of stipend by the hospital and its superintendent.

The plea also argues that the hospital has refused to comply with the National Medical Commission's circulars dated 4th March 2022 and 19th May 2022, that expressly state that stipends are to be granted to interns and they are not to be charged with any internship fees.

An exorbitant amount of internship fee was being charged from them, and even the stipend was being withheld, the petition alleges.

"The petitioners were being threatened with discontinuation of their course and withholding of their course completion certificate by the 4th and 5th respondents in the event of nonpayment of internship fee," according to the plea.

The petitioners have prayed no internship fee be demanded from them, their stipend be disbursed, and they be permitted to complete the internship. They further seek direction that completion certificates be issued to them on conclusion of the stipulated internship period.

Case Title: Dr. Arjun Rajeev & Ors v. State of Kerala & Ors. 

Click Here To Read/Download The Order