OPD services paralysed across Bihar as MBBS interns go on strike over stipend

PATNA: Out-patient department (OPD) services across nine government medical colleges in Bihar were paralysed, either partially or fully, as nearly 1,000 MBBS interns went on a strike on Monday, demanding a hike in monthly stipend

PATNA: Out-patient department (OPD) services across nine government medical colleges in Bihar were paralysed, either partially or fully, as nearly 1,000 MBBS interns went on a strike on Monday, demanding a hike in monthly stipend.

Out-patient department (OPD) services across nine government medical colleges in Bihar were paralysed, either partially or fully, as nearly 1,000 MBBS interns went on a strike on Monday, demanding a hike in monthly stipend. (Picture for representation/HT Photo)

The medicos are demanding a hike in their monthly remuneration from ₹15,000 to ₹35,000. They claim that their batchmates at Patna’s Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) are being paid ₹26,000 while those at the government medical colleges were still getting 15,000.

The protest has posed the first big administrative challenge for Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who also handles the health portfolio, as the interns threatened that would intensify their protest and continue with their strike till the government heeds their demands.

“We are hopeful that our deputy chief minister will be considerate enough to heed to our demands,” said Kritika Singh, a student of the MBBS 2017 batch at Patna’s Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH).

The striking students claimed to have forced the closure of OPDs at NMCH, Bhagalpur’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital (JLNMCH), Muzaffarpur’s Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital (SKMCH), and the Vardhaman Institute of Medical Sciences, Pawapuri in Nalanda district.

However, OPD services were not disrupted at the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), where the MBBS interns staged a peaceful protest.

“We will intensify our agitation and force the closure of OPD services from Tuesday because the government showed absolutely no intent today to have a discussion with us on increasing our monthly stipend. Our senior postgraduate students have also supported us in our demand,” said Sarvottam Singhania, a medico of the 2017 batch at the PMCH.

“Our internship allowance was last revised in April 2017. Despite various circulars issued by the state health department to revise our stipend every three years, it has not been revised for the last five years now. To date, we get less than the students doing a graduate internship in the veterinary programme in our state,” said Kritika.

“MBBS interns get much more than us in our neighbouring states like Jharkhand, where they are paid a monthly stipend of ₹24,000, West Bengal ₹28,000 and Assam ₹31,000,” said Rohan Kaushik, a medico of the NMCH.

The Junior Doctors Association of the NMCH has also extended support to the demand of the protesting interns.

“The OPD services at our hospital were hampered for a larger part of the day because of the strike. We will continue with the strike till our demands are met,” said Rakesh Ranjan, an agitating medico of the JLNMCH.