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J&K medical interns seek stipend increase, threaten to go on strike
Hundreds of MBBS and BDS interns working in various health institutions of the Union territory are provided a monthly stipend of ₹12,300.
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The MBBS interns working in various government hospitals of Jammu and Kashmir have announced to go for an indefinite strike from August 31 if government doesn’t increase their monthly stipends which the doctors say are the ‘lowest in the country’.
Hundreds of MBBS and BDS interns working in various health institutions of the Union territory are provided a monthly stipend of ₹12,300.
The National Conference government in February had informed the legislative assembly that it has recommended enhancing the stipend from the existing ₹12,300 to ₹25,000 per month. But seven months down the line, there has been no increase in the stipends of the doctors.
Zamin Javed, a doctor, said that the issue was pending for the past seven years.
“For the past seven years, the intern doctors have been going from office to office with regard to enhancement in their stipends. We have been demanding the stipend increase to ₹25000 which is a genuine demand. In Delhi UT, it is ₹26000. In other states, the stipends are as high as ₹30,000- 35,000 per month,” he said.
Another doctor said that interns give much higher duty hours than normal government employees.
“We provide 80-90 working hours in a week which is much higher than the people working from 10 am to 4 pm. In these hours, we work 30-32 hours for night duty which we do in one-go at a stretch… We face a lot of difficulties on this meagre sum,” he said.
The doctors said that they approached the chief minister and health minister with their grievances but there was no action.
“The government has itself recommended the enhancement in stipend but there is no action. This is sheer injustice with us. If this is not resolved, then we have decided to collectively go on strike from August 31,” said another protesting doctor.
In February, in response to questions of legislators Salman Sagar and Sunil Kumar Sharma in J&K Assembly, the incharge minister of health and medical education (HME), had said that the committee constituted on the issue on 27, June 2023 under the chairmanship of director finance, HME, has recommended an enhancement of the existing stipend from ₹12,300 per month to 25,000 per month in favour of the MBBS and BDS internees. The minister said that the Finance Department has, however, sought additional information and clarifications on multiple occasions.
“These observations were communicated to the concerned colleges, which, in turn, provided the required information from time to time. The submissions were duly examined and forwarded to the Finance Department accordingly,” the response stated.
The issue has triggered the ire of opposition leaders against the government.
“They save lives at 3 am. They run toward emergencies while the rest of us run away. They carry the weight of patients’ survival on their shoulders barely out of medical school, through sleepless nights, relentless wards, and responsibilities no salary reflects. And for all this, paid 12,300 a month. MBBS interns have waited long enough. @CM_JnK must fulfil their demands at earliest,” said People’s Democratic Party leader Waheed ur Rehman Para.
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi extended the party’s full support to MBBS and BDS interns across Jammu and Kashmir who have announced a statewide protest demanding implementation of the long-pending enhancement in their monthly stipend.
Inam Un Nabi said it was unfortunate that a matter examined by a government-appointed committee in 2023 continues to remain unresolved.
