Fighting on frontline, junior doctors feel ‘discouraged’ by ‘meagre’ stipend

The junior doctors, who have been assigned duties in emergency wards and other departments of the hospitals where Covid-19 patients are undergoing treatment, said they are getting only Rs 300 per day even as the state government is paying Rs 750 per day to a private ward attendant

Over 500 MBBS interns, who are working as frontline soldiers in the battle against Covid-19 at Government Medical College and Hospitals at Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot feel “discouraged” over the “meager” stipend they are getting from the state government.

HT Image

The junior doctors, who have been assigned duties in emergency wards and other departments of the hospitals where Covid-19 patients are undergoing treatment, said they are getting only Rs 300 per day even as the state government is paying Rs 750 per day to a private ward attendant.

These interns are now seeking a hike in their stipend.

Amritsar Medical Student Association president Dr Vaibhav Chawla said, “The interns of government medical colleges are paid Rs 9,000 monthly stipend. For the last 10 years, the state government has not increased the stipend, which is one of the lowest in the country. They should hike it now when we are risking our lives while performing duty.”

He added, “The state government has temporarily recruited doctors and medical staff as paid volunteers to fight against coronavirus. The government is ready to pay Rs 5,000 per day to private specialist doctors, Rs 3,500 to MBBS volunteers and Rs 1,000 to a staff nurse. But the government is not ready to give incentives to the junior doctors.”

“I have done 18-hour shifts in past weeks because my senior doctors were on mandatory 14-day quarantine after coming in contact (without adequate protective equipment) with a Covid-19 patient. The junior doctors in other states are getting higher stipend and we also deserve to be paid more”, tweeted Dr Aryan Mehta of GMC Amritsar.

Dr Bir Ghuman of GMC Patiala said, “We have started tweeting to Punjab CM to increase our monthly stipend. We are working with only face masks. We are more prone of getting infected.”

“The government must increase our stipend and should give us incentive for fighting the battle against Covid-19,” said Dr Anchal from GMC Faridkot.

Blurb: MBBS interns of govt medical colleges in Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot, who get Rs 300 per day, demand hike in stipend