Telangana health minister flags private medical college stipend issues with NMC Chairman

Telangana Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha along with Chairman of National Medical Commission Dr B.N. Gangadhar during a meeting in Hyderabad on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Telangana Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha met with Chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Dr. B.N. Gangadhar in Hyderabad on Saturday (May 31) and raised concerns over the challenges faced by medical students in private institutions, particularly the non-payment and delay of stipends.

During the meeting, the Minister underscored the impact of the rapid increase in the number of private medical colleges in Telangana, stating that it has strained both infrastructure and faculty recruitment. He appealed to the NMC to consider providing temporary exemptions in building norms and to support efforts to fill faculty vacancies.

The Minister also highlighted the shortage of postgraduate (PG) medical seats compared to the growing number of MBBS graduates in the State. He urged the Commission to allow an expansion of PG seats to improve training opportunities for graduates and strengthen healthcare delivery.

Responding to the concerns, the NMC chairman assured that the Commission would look into the issues raised. According to an official release, the NMC Chairman also held in-depth discussions on the overall functioning of medical colleges and hospitals and agreed on the importance of safeguarding the quality of medical education.

The meeting was attended by Health Secretary Christina Z. Chongthu, Vice-Chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) Dr. P.V. Nanda Kumar Reddy, and other senior officials from the State health department.

Published - June 01, 2025 08:45 pm IST