Medical interns at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) have declined to sign the two-year bond contract due to the lack of an official Civil Service designation for them.
Earlier in April, Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced an allowance for medical and dental interns to “endorse the development of Maldivian professionals in the health sector”. While the government ordered the allowance effective from May 2023, IGMH have to provide allowances for interns.
Meanwhile, the hospital made an attempt to sign contracts with medical interns last week. According to the proposed contract, interns would be entitled to a daily allowance of MVR 400 for their work attendance.
According to the contract terms, interns are currently required to work for 8-12 hours per day, including a 32-hour shift over two days. However, the contract does not provide any additional allowances or benefits to them despite the demanding working conditions, due to which the interns have declined to sign the contract.
The interns have expressed concerns regarding the hospital's two-year bond requirement, despite being excluded from the Civil Service pay framework. In addition, they are expected to repay the entirety of the allowances they received during their internship if they decide to withdraw.
The first batch of interns at IGMH, formed in March, consists of 35 doctors who have collectively refused to sign the contract due to their concerns.
The hospital said that information about the contract will be disseminated to the interns on Sunday, June 11.
“Though this is a government-stipulated allowance, if the agreement is terminated then the intern is required to repay the allowances they were paid. On the other hand, the contract duration is two years, but the contract does not specify the conditions that should be met if an intern wishes to pursue further education during their internship period,” an intern doctor said.
The intern also highlighted that the hospital do not offer them a formal designation citing that it does not fit the Civil Service pay framework, and added that despite this, they are mandated to adhere to same policies as regular doctors.
"While this allowance is provided as a government incentive, interns are required to repay the full amount to IGMH if the bond is terminated. The contract duration is two years, but there is no clarity on the consequences of the bond if an intern decides to pursue further studies before the specified period ends," an intern doctor said.
Another concern raised by the interns is the requirement imposed by IGMH for those who fail or drop out of the internship without a valid reason to repay the hospital's expenses with a five percent interest in lump sum.
Additionally, interns who have completed their internship but have not fulfilled their government service obligation, as well as interns who terminate their contract midway through the internship, are required to repay the hospital's expenses with an additional 25 percent interest in lump sum.
In cases where the internship contract is terminated halfway or after completion due to unforeseeable circumstances or valid reasons, the intern is subject to repay IGMH's expenses based on a mutually agreed repayment plan between the intern and the hospital.
IGMH initiated medical internships in 2018 to provide practical training to medical students and enabling them to become qualified medical practitioners. Students who undergo five or six years of medical education are required to undergo an additional year of medical internship training to fulfill the requirements for their formal credentials.
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