Participation to count toward mandatory District Residency Programme, no additional stipend to be provided
In a significant move, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced that voluntary medical service during the upcoming Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand will be counted toward the mandatory District Residency Programme (DRP) for postgraduate medical students. The annual pilgrimage, which begins on April 30 and runs through October, draws lakhs of pilgrims to the four sacred sites — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.
NMC chairman Dr BN Gangadhar clarified that participation in the yatra is completely voluntary and not a compulsory part of the DRP. Introduced in 2021, the DRP requires postgraduate (PG) medical students to spend three months in district health facilities to gain practical experience in grassroots healthcare delivery.
The NMC issued a circular on Friday stating that medical students who volunteer to serve during the pilgrimage will receive credit for their DRP requirement. “Unlike other places, the health needs will be under different circumstances. People will be exposed to high-altitude-related medical complications. This will provide a new opportunity for the training of postgraduates,” said NMC Secretary Dr Raghav Langer in the circular.
Dr Langer also mentioned that the Uttarakhand government had sought additional medical personnel to manage healthcare services during the Char Dham Yatra, and several PG doctors had already expressed interest in volunteering.
While the decision was welcomed by many in the medical fraternity, it also sparked calls for better regulation and support. Dr Lakhshya Mittal, president of the United Doctors Front Association, appreciated the learning opportunity but urged the NMC to ensure robust oversight and real-time monitoring of the program.
Aviral Mathur, a senior member of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), emphasized that students opting for such voluntary services should receive additional incentives beyond their regular DRP stipend. “There is no need for students to do DRP at religious places instead of peripheral district healthcare settings,” he added.
When questioned about stipends, Dr Gangadhar stated that students will continue to receive their regular DRP stipends from their respective colleges, but no extra payment would be provided for services rendered during the yatra.
Describing the opportunity as a “unique learning experience,” the NMC also noted that nodal officers in states will coordinate the deployment of medical volunteers to assist Uttarakhand’s health authorities during the yatra.
In 2023, approximately 30 lakh pilgrims took part in the Char Dham Yatra, which places significant strain on medical infrastructure due to the challenging high-altitude conditions. The NMC hopes this initiative will not only enhance healthcare support for pilgrims but also provide PG students with valuable hands-on exposure in emergency and high-altitude medicine.
Sources By Agencies
