3 hrs ago
J&K Intern Doctors Intensify Stipend Protest, Begin Hunger Strike
Medical interns in Jammu and Kashmir are protesting because they want more money each month.
They currently receive ₹12,300 and are asking for ₹30,000.
The protest has continued for eight days.
Interns at Jhelum Valley Medical College in Srinagar started a hunger strike on Monday.
Some other interns plan to join the hunger strike from Tuesday.
The government has reportedly given verbal assurances that the stipend could be increased after 30 days.
The interns want this promise written in an official government order.
They say they will continue protesting until the government formally addresses their demand.
Political parties including the People's Democratic Party and Congress have supported them.
Intern doctors across Jammu and Kashmir entered the eighth day of protests over their monthly stipend.
The doctors are demanding an increase from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000 and want a formal written government order.
Interns at Jhelum Valley Medical College in Bemina, Srinagar, began a hunger strike on Monday.
The interns said a 2023 committee recommended a ₹25,000 stipend, but the revised amount has not been implemented.
Political parties including the People's Democratic Party and Congress have supported the doctors' demand.
- Who
- Intern doctors across Jammu and Kashmir, including doctors at Jhelum Valley Medical College and Government Medical College Jammu.
- What
- They are protesting for a monthly stipend increase from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000 and demanding a formal written order.
- Where
- Government hospitals and medical institutions across Jammu and Kashmir, including Bemina in Srinagar and Jammu.
- When
- The protest was in its eighth consecutive day on Monday; some interns planned to begin hunger strikes from Tuesday.
- Why
- The interns say the stipend has remained unchanged since 2019 despite higher living costs and demanding clinical duties, and they no longer accept verbal assurances about revision.
Intern Doctors' Position
Government Representatives' Position
Written order versus verbal assurance
Intern Doctors' Position
Interns say repeated promises have not produced a formal decision and they will call off the strike only after a written order is issued.
Government Representatives' Position
Representatives of the Health Minister reportedly asked the interns to give the government 30 days and gave a verbal assurance that the stipend would be increased.
Amount of stipend revision
Intern Doctors' Position
The interns are demanding an immediate increase from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000, along with uniform implementation and periodic future revisions.
Government Representatives' Position
A 2023 committee reportedly recommended ₹25,000, but the revised amount has not yet been implemented and remains subject to administrative processing, including financial concurrence.
Effect on hospitals
Intern Doctors' Position
Interns say they perform essential duties in wards, outpatient departments and emergency services, and that their absence places additional pressure on senior and postgraduate residents.
Government Representatives' Position
The article does not provide a separate public assessment from the government about the protest's effect on hospital operations or patient care.
Key facts
- Current stipend
- ₹12,300 per month
- Requested stipend
- ₹30,000 per month
- Protest duration
- Eight consecutive days as of Monday
- Earlier committee proposal
- A 2023 committee reportedly recommended ₹25,000 per month
- Reported participants
- Around 1,200 interns across Jammu and Kashmir; about 125 at Government Medical College Jammu
- Immediate demand
- A formal government order from the Health and Medical Education Department
- Political support
- The People's Democratic Party and Congress have backed the demand
Quotes
Dr Ahmad Faraz Malik
Medical intern at JVC Medical College, Srinagar
“We want a written order, and only then can we consider calling off the strike.”
wionews.com
“Our simple demand is that it be increased to ₹30,000.”
wionews.com
Sources
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