Medical interns to take to streets today

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, February 17

Over 500 MBBS interns in three government medical colleges of the state have announced to go on a strike from Tuesday over low stipend. The Medical Student Association has given a call for the strike.

For the last over 10 years, the interns are being paid Rs9,000 per month. “After working for the entire month and investing 12 hours daily, we are getting even less than the minimum daily wage rate of Rs325.23,” said the interns.

“Out of all government institutions in the country, we are receiving the lowest stipend, whereas our fee is the highest,” alleged the students.

In the last 4 years, the fee has been increased twice. In 2015, tuition fee for the first year of MBBS course was increased from Rs13,000 to Rs80,000 per annum, rued the students.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had announced to increase the stipend for the MBBS interns in January 2018. Presently, the stipend is being paid in Centre-run medical institutions, including AIIMS (all branches); JIPMER, Puducherry; Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi; Lady Harding Medical College, Delhi; VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi, and North Eastern India Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong.

The interns in medical college hospitals affiliated to the Central Government are getting Rs23,500 as stipend. Even, private medical colleges in the state are paying Rs15,000 as stipend, said the interns.

Deepak John Bhatti, principal, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, said they had sent representatives of the students to demand hike in the stipend from the state government.