MBBS students not paid stipend since 2011

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 21

Despite completing their internship last month, the 2011 batch MBBS students of Veer Chander Singh Garhwali are running from pillar to post approaching authorities to release their pending stipend money.

These students who completed their internship in March 2017 have alleged that the authorities have released the stipend money only for four months.

“We are facing grave financial crisis and are being forced to depend on our family to pay for our daily expenses,” said a student on the condition of anonymity. These students have even written a letter to the Chief Minister for appropriate action.

Ashutosh Sayana, Director, Medical Education, said there was delay in the budget as such the stipend could not be disbursed on time.

“We have made arrangements to disburse the stipend soon, the process is on and all    students will get the stipend in due course of time,” he said.

Along with delay in release of stipend money, the students have also been alleging that the college authorities have failed to allocate them the junior residentship in the college.

In order to overcome the scarcity of doctors, the Uttarakhand government pays for the five-year education of students, provided that they agree to work five years in the state by filling a bond.

Out of the five years, the students can either do a year of residentship in the Srinagar Medical College after completing their MBBS course or then complete the remaining four years by serving in other parts of the state. Or they can opt for serving in the state for a period of five years by joining the Provincial Medical and Health Services cadre.

This year, however, out of the 85 seats of junior residents, the college authorities decided to allocate fewer seats to the students who had filled the bonds.