Hyderabad: A growing number of foreign medical graduate interns in Telangana are ceasing their duties due to concerns regarding stipend inequalities, leading to disruptions in outpatient services throughout the region.

Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) are individuals who have completed their MBBS degrees at international universities and must pass the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination. To register and practice in India, they are required to undertake an internship.

The Times of India reported that while local medical interns in Telangana receive a stipend of Rs 29,732, FMGs are only compensated with Rs 5,000. In response, these graduates have approached the Director of Medical Education (DME) to request equal stipend rates, a discussion that has been ongoing since January 2026.

Further findings indicate that Telangana is one of the states offering the lowest stipends for FMG interns, particularly when compared to states like Odisha (Rs 44,000), West Bengal (Rs 43,000), Assam (Rs 36,225), and Karnataka (Rs 30,000).

The financial disparity creates challenges for interns who struggle to cover essential living costs such as food, housing, and transportation. Many interns also carry educational loans. As internships are assigned in various cities, the rising cost of living exacerbates their financial difficulties. “The disparity makes it difficult for interns to meet basic expenses like food, rent, and travel,” stated Mohammed Mohsin, an FMG from Georgia, in an interview with The Times of India.

The National Medical Council (NMC) has stated that establishing a uniform stipend across India for medical interns is unfeasible. Nonetheless, it affirmed that both Indian medical graduates and FMGs working in the same state should receive equal stipends.