MBBS, BDS interns continue strike across J&K over stipend hike

*Candle-light march taken out in GMC-J

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Sept 1: MBBS and BDS interns across Government medical and dental institutions in Jammu and Kashmir continued their indefinite strike for the second consecutive day today, demanding an immediate revision of their stipend and implementation of the pending Finance Committee recommendations.

The interns continued to assemble at SKIMS, Medical College Bemina and GMCs in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag, besides Government medical colleges in Jammu and other districts. They held placards, raised slogans and staged demonstrations, while routine duties remained suspended. The protesting interns, however, maintained that emergency services would continue as usual.

Click here to watch video

At GMC Jammu, the interns organized a candle-light march within the hospital premises this evening as part of their ongoing agitation. The interns said their stipend had remained unchanged for nearly seven years despite repeated representations and recommendations for revision. They maintained that the existing amount was inadequate considering their workload, clinical responsibilities and rising living costs.

The interns perform duties in emergency departments, OPDs, operation theatres and wards, besides undertaking night shifts and rural postings. They have demanded that the monthly stipend be increased from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000.

At GMC Srinagar, the protesting interns said they would continue their strike until the Government gives a concrete assurance on the issue. "The issue must be addressed; we are not going to call off the strike till the stipend is increased to Rs 30,000. We have received no response from the Government. The strike will continue," an intern said.

CPI(M) leader and MLA Kulgam, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, extended his support to the MBBS and BDS interns' protest and urged the Government to immediately revise their monthly stipend.

PDP leader Iltija Mufti visited GMC Srinagar and met the protesting interns, extending support to their demand and questioning the disparity between stipends paid to medical interns in J&K and those in other States.

Reacting to Health Minister Sakina Itoo's statement that the matter was under process, Dr Mohammad Momin Khan of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) termed the response "very cold", saying the interns now needed a concrete decision rather than another assurance.

Meanwhile, IMA-associated doctor Aqib Ali Khan said the issue was pending over the Finance Department's lack of concurrence to the proposed hike.