Junior residents of the Patliputra Medical College Hospital (PMCH) went on an indefinite pen-down strike, starting Wednesday, demanding stipend on a par with their counterparts at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), Ranchi.
Junior residents of the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College Hospital (MGMCH), Jamshedpur, are already on strike since Monday over the same.
The PMCH Junior Residents Association (JRA) said health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi had announced the same on January 17 but even six months after his assurances, the state was yet to implement the same. Junior residents at the state-run PMCH and MGMCH draw `30,000 per month while their counterparts at RIMS get `62,000.
“Since there are no postgraduate students in the medical college, the hospital is reeling under acute shortage of doctors — junior residents are forced to work for 16-18 hours daily. However, the junior residents at RIMS have no such work load but they get double the stipend,” said a junior resident.
The PMCH principal and superintendent were both in Ranchi on Wednesday to attend a health department meeting. Dr HK Singh, the officiating principal of the college, said he has received the notice by the junior residents. “Since interns are on duty, there is no crisis in hospital at present. An alternative arrangement has also been made to meet the requirement,” said Dr Singh.
{{/usCountry}}The PMCH principal and superintendent were both in Ranchi on Wednesday to attend a health department meeting. Dr HK Singh, the officiating principal of the college, said he has received the notice by the junior residents. “Since interns are on duty, there is no crisis in hospital at present. An alternative arrangement has also been made to meet the requirement,” said Dr Singh.
{{/usCountry}}