24 Jan 2023 • The latest National Medical Commission (NMC) notice, in which the Commission's PG Medical Education Board addressed the subject of maternity leave for postgraduate medical students, did not sit well with the medical community, who are concerned that the problem still has not been resolved. The NMC PG Board noted in the relevant notification that the issue of maternity leave for PG medical students shall be handled in accordance with the applicable State Government guidelines. The Apex Medical Commission has clarified the stipend problem by stating that, if it was not supplied during the leave period, students pursuing PG medical degrees should be granted stipend for extended periods of training. The NMC's position on the topic has, however, dismayed the medical community. Doctors have claimed that the NMC is seeking to escape accountability by making the grant of maternity leave subject to state regulation, calling the notice opaque and not clear. The doctors have further asserted that, in light of the NMC's clarification on stipend, such a clause renders the principal goal of maternity leave benefits meaningless. Although the Union Government of India has given all female employees the advantage of maternity leave, the situation of PG medical students, who complete three years of training at medical institutions, is ambiguous because they are viewed as doctors undertaking academic training and not as employees.

Source: Medical Dialogues | Read full story