Government Dental College interns demand revision of stipend
Amritsar, July 29
Demanding a hike in their stipend, interns at the Government Dental College and Hospital here have written a letter to Punjab government saying that they are being paid very less as compared to interns in dental colleges of other states and institutes of the Central Government.
Karandeep Singh, a representative of Dental Students Association of Punjab (DSAP), said, “We are being paid Rs 15,000 per month for the internship while the institutes of the Central Government are paying an amount of Rs 30,070 per month.” Karandeep Singh said that the government had last revised the internship stipend in year 2019.
Seek govt’s intervention
While the course fee for BDS and MDS courses in Punjab is more than that in other states, the interns here are paid less. We have requested the government to revise the stipend so that it can be brought on a par with other states and the Central Government institutions. —Nikhil Mahajan, A student
Another student Nikhil Mahajan said, “While the course fees for BDS and MDS courses in Punjab is more than that in other states, the interns here are paid less.” He said that they have requested the government to revise the stipend so that it can be brought at par with other states and Central government institutions.
The DSAP has also highlighted a shortage of labs, medicines and other equipment stating that it forces poor patients to seek medical services from private clinics which is a burden on them. The interns stated that they have also forwarded their demand to the government through college authorities.
With over 250 BDS and MDS students enrolled with it, the Government Dental College and Hospital here is also facing an acute shortage of faculty. The shortage of faculty means that interns are doing most of the work with senior faculty members overseeing them. The interns stated that they should be rewarded just for their hard work by increasing the stipend.
