The government has recommended that MBBS and BDS intern doctors receive an allowance equivalent to at least 50 percent of the starting salary of eighth-level medical officers. Currently, intern doctors receive only NPR 10,000 per month and have complained about labor exploitation due to heavy workloads. The Barakoti report had suggested providing intern doctors with 50 percent of the starting salary of medical officers, but this recommendation has yet to be implemented. Kathmandu, April 17. Intern doctors at medical colleges are serving patients amidst minimal allowances and heavy workloads. They handle responsibilities from patient treatment to ward management, yet receive only NPR 10,000 per month as a living allowance. For a long time, interns have demanded an increase in allowances, citing labor exploitation.
A government-formed task force has recommended providing MBBS and BDS intern doctors with at least 50 percent of the starting salary of eighth-level medical officers as monthly living allowance. The Ministry of Education and Sports formed a seven-member task force led by Under-Secretary and Director of Technical Education Department, Chandrakanta Paudel, to address the living allowance issue for intern doctors.
The task force was established on April 27 to gather feedback on the monthly living allowance for MBBS and BDS intern doctors. In its report submitted on May 13, the task force recommended that all private and government colleges and institutions provide living allowances. The report stated, “It is appropriate for all public and private teaching institutions to provide intern doctors with 50 percent of the starting salary scale of the eighth-level government medical officers. This allowance system can also be applied to students in other medical programs with a one-year internship.”
The committee indicated that the recommendation could be implemented under the duties and authority of the commission as per Section 6 of the National Education Act 2018. It also suggested that the Medical Education Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister make appropriate decisions.
Completing an MBBS degree takes approximately five and a half years, including about four and a half years of study and a mandatory one-year internship. During the internship, interns must serve in different hospital departments, often working around the clock. Intern doctors are expected to spend significant time in hospitals during their training. However, due to the lack of scientifically determined allowances, doctors have expressed dissatisfaction over inadequate service benefits.
Intern doctors pursuing bachelor’s-level medical education must treat patients under the supervision of specialist doctors. They continuously engage in checking admitted and emergency patients, managing admissions, ward arrangements, and discharges. According to a doctor interning at Kathmandu Medical College in Sinamangal, interns work 10 to 12 hours daily but receive allowances insufficient for such workloads, resulting in labor exploitation. Most interns face hardship due to low allowances, with some bearing familial financial responsibilities.
Most hospitals provide interns only NPR 13,000 per month as a living allowance. “Considering the work we perform, this amount is extremely low,” the doctor said. “We handle responsibilities in wards, outpatient departments, and operation theaters for admitted patients.” Despite working under specialists’ guidance, interns play a critical role in the daily treatment process.
The same doctor noted that MBBS study duration is long, usually about six years, though it can extend to seven years due to delayed college procedures. The cost of MBBS education is approximately NPR 4 million. “Most students are over 25 years old and still rely on family support for expenses,” the doctor said. “Hence, there is a demand for allowances sufficient to cover interns’ personal expenses during their internship.”
There is also a demand that the allowance rates applicable in government medical colleges be implemented in private medical colleges as well. “We are not requesting salaries, only stipends, which must align with labor laws,” an intern said. “There should be no disparity in allowances between government and private medical colleges.”
The Barakoti report was prepared by the Committee for Safe Workplace for Health Workers, formed in 2024, based on an agreement between health sector representatives and the government to assess the standardization of minimum government-level benefits for intern doctors, medical officers, and residential doctors. The committee was chaired by then Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tank Prasad Barakoti.
The report recommended that intern doctors receive an allowance equal to 50 percent of the starting salary of medical officers, paid over 13 months annually. It concluded that interns should be provided with minimum government-level service benefits. Since interns regularly provide medical services at hospitals, the report noted that their low allowance reflects a misvaluation of their labor and services.
The Medical Education Commission has been recommended to set standards on intern doctors’ allowances. Medical officers at the eighth level currently receive NPR 48,000, and the task force suggests interns should be paid half of that, totaling NPR 24,000. The report also calls for universities, institutions, and private medical colleges to be instructed to regularly pay intern doctors’ allowances monthly.
The report advises setting policy to avoid unnecessary increases in student enrollment fees while maintaining government-level allowance rates. It further recommends making allowance payments transparent and mandating disbursement through bank transfers. Compliance with intern service benefits should also be monitored during health institution registration and renewal processes.
However, it has been over a year since the Barakoti report’s recommendations were made, yet they have not been implemented. On April 17, 2026, the Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security issued a statement directing adherence to minimum wages and social security provisions as per the Labor Act 2017. The Ministry of Health issued a circular to the Medical Education Commission on January 15, 2023, to eliminate disparities in health workers’ living allowances.
On November 7, 2025, various associations agreed on providing minimum wages to nurses and health workers in health institutions. Based on this, on March 3, the Ministry of Health reissued a circular to the Medical and Dental College Association emphasizing the need to increase intern doctors’ allowances as per workshops and consensus.
The internship phase is crucial in producing skilled health workers, during which doctors gain direct patient care experience. However, experts warn that minimal services and benefits lower morale and increase professional dissatisfaction.
Dilli Harijan, coordinator of the Intern Doctors’ Campaign, said, “We carry responsibilities equivalent to regular doctors in hospitals. We have been continuously voicing our concerns and are working within the Health Ministry for implementation of the report. Discussions are also underway at the Prime Minister’s Office.”
However, private medical college operators argue that paying salaries to interns is unnecessary, claiming that internships are part of medical education and a learning process, not work. Intern doctors, however, perceive this as labor exploitation.
Intern doctors’ primary grievance is the disparity in allowances between government and private medical colleges. Government colleges pay up to NPR 23,000, while some private colleges offer only NPR 10,000. Dilli Harijan stated, “Committees and reports were formed before, but implementation never happened. This time the government has given a commitment, and we are struggling until the end, trusting that.”
