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‘At frontline without pay’: Peeved MBBS interns in GMSH-16 make a case for stipend
Some took to social media expressing their resentment and have demanded incentive at par with MBBS interns working in Punjab
The MBBS interns of Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, are being paid nothing despite serving at the frontilne of the corona pandemic. Some took to social media expressing their resentment and have demanded incentive at par with MBBS interns working in Punjab.
An MBBS intern working in GMSH-16, a foreign student who has graduated from abroad, said, “I cleared the screening exam and joined the hospital on March 18. From day one I have been posted in the Corona screening ward.”
He added, “We are paid nothing. Our only demand is that UT administration should pay us incentives at par with Punjab government.”
Another student said he had completed his studies from abroad and cleared the examination, after which he joined the GMSH-16 for practice. “We did sign a contract according to which they won’t pay us any stipend. However, these are very unusual times,” he said.
He said: “We are working in Corona screening areas and we deserve at least a stipend. Parents of many interns are not tech savvy and its becoming difficult for them to receive money.”
Three female interns took to making a video, wherein they have appealed to authorities to consider their request. said: “We are interns working at GMSH-16 as frontline warriors amid corona pandemic. We have been going to several places for screening in Chandigarh. We have been tirelessly providing health services and request the heath department to provide us with a suitable incentive stipend,” they said.
Another doctor said that they had written an application to the deputy medical superintendent but are still awaiting a response.
Medical superintendent Dr Virender Nagpal said the hospital does not give them any incentives. “They are students from private medical colleges and ideally, they should be doing an internship from their own college where they can get a stipend.”
He added that it was due to the pandemic that the government has allowed them to do internship in the cities where they were located. “This time we have around 171 interns, but we have no rule that we pay them a stipend,” he said.
