MBBS, BDS interns across J&K begin indefinite strike over stipend
*Seek hike from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000 Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Aug 31: MBBS and BDS interns across Government medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir today launched an indefinite strike demanding an increase in their monthly stipend from Rs 12,300...
*Seek hike from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Aug 31: MBBS and BDS interns across Government medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir today launched an indefinite strike demanding an increase in their monthly stipend from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000, saying the existing amount has remained unchanged for nearly seven years despite repeated representations and a Government committee’s recommendation for revision.
The protests were held at GMCs and dental colleges in Jammu and Srinagar, besides the new GMCs at Kathua, Doda, Rajouri, Udhampur, Anantnag and Baramulla. Interns staged dharnas and demonstrations outside hospital premises, with protesters saying they were compelled to suspend routine services after their demand remained unresolved.
The interns said they perform duties in emergency departments, OPDs, operation theatres, wards and other clinical areas, besides undertaking night shifts and rural postings. They maintained that the existing stipend, equivalent to about Rs 400-430 per day, is inadequate in view of their workload and rising living costs.
“We are performing the same duties, including 24-hour and night shifts and rural postings, but are being paid only around Rs 400 a day,” said Dr Shahnawaz, an intern. He said MBBS and BDS interns across J&K had joined the strike and were seeking a stipend of at least Rs 30,000 per month.
Dr Abhinav Bhat said a committee constituted by the Health and Medical Education Department in 2023 had recommended increasing the stipend to around Rs 25,000 for 2025-26. He said the issue was subsequently raised in the 2026 Assembly session, where a proposed stipend of around Rs 26,300 was mentioned, but the matter was yet to be implemented.
The strike is not total, with the interns saying they will continue attending emergencies while staying away from routine duties. An intern at SKIMC Medical College, Bemina, said the strike would continue until the revised stipend was formally notified.
“We have been demanding revision of stipend for years. The stipend should be increased to Rs 30,000. Interns in other states are receiving substantially more, while J&K remains at the lowest level,” Dr Ahmad Faraz Malik, another intern, said.
Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo said there was no need for the interns to go on strike as their demand for enhancement of stipend was already under process. She said the file had been sent to the Finance Department for examination of its financial implications, adding that the Government considered the demand genuine in view of inflation and the need for a hike.
Meanwhile, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and ensure an early resolution of the interns’ stipend dispute, terming their demand genuine.
PDP MLA from Pulwama Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra also urged the Government to address concerns of interns and increase their stipend.
