BSc Nursing students demand stipend for internship period in Maharashtra

The letter states that while MBBS students, Bachelor of Paramedical Technology students, and even BSc Nursing students in Central Government hospitals receive stipends but BSc Nursing students in Maharashtra’s state-run hospitals do not. The letter calls for a stipend of Rs 18,000 for each of the 250 students across the five state-run colleges, which would require a budget allocation of Rs 2.7 crore.

Speaking on the matter, Shankar Naiknaware, state president of the NSO and a fourth-year student at Government Nursing College, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, said, “In 2006 and 2009, the Diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course at five Maharashtra government colleges in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Nanded was changed to BSc Nursing. This led to the cancellation of the stipend that was being given to GNM students.”

Dipali Ghule, a third-year student at the College of Nursing, BJMC, Pune, and general secretary of NSO Maharashtra, added, “GNM diploma holders were not considered graduates, which was a disadvantage. This is why the course was upgraded to a BSc. However, this also meant the stipend GNM students used to receive was canceled. Now, we do not receive any stipend.”

“When hospital staff go on strike, we nursing students are asked to manage everything, yet we still don’t receive a stipend. Even students of the Bachelor of Paramedical Technology receive a stipend,” Ghule noted.

According to Ghule, the BSc examinations were previously held annually. As a result, the administration refused to pay students a stipend, claiming that the internship was part of their course. “However, since 2021, a semester system has been introduced, meaning we study theory for seven semesters and complete our internship in the eighth semester. Our final exams are conducted after the seventh semester, so the authorities can no longer claim that the internship is part of the course,” said Ghule.

Maharashtra Nursing Council President Dr. Ramling Mali told The Indian Express, “When I was a GNM student, I used to receive a stipend, but it hasn’t increased in line with the stipends given to medical and dental students. The GNM stipend needs to be increased because it forms the backbone of the system. BSc students should also receive a stipend—not just Rs 300 to Rs 400, but on par with MBBS students. It’s a logical demand.”

He added that if the government sought the council’s opinion, it would support the students. “The problem is that nursing policies are made by doctors, not nurses, which leads to nursing being treated as secondary,” Dr. Mali remarked.

Dean of the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Dr. Shivaji Sukre, said, “We support their demand, and we will recommend it to the Maharashtra government. Any student who is in practice should receive a stipend if it was previously given.”

He also mentioned that he would like the students to meet him, assuring them that the issue would be resolved within fifteen days.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research authorities stated that they are preparing a proposal to address the issue, without revealing further details.