Rajindra hospital OPD services hit amid strike by resident doctors

The Outpatient Department (OPD) services at Rajindra Medical College remained suspended as Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) and MBBS interns of the Government Medical College, Patiala, observed a day-long strike.

“The unified action followed growing unrest among resident doctors over longstanding concerns regarding working conditions, financial compensation and administrative policies in government medical institutions,” said RDA president Dr Rmandeep Singh.

The RDA’s demands includes ending non-clinical tasks like file and Emergency Medical Officer (EMO) duties, which resident doctors argue fall outside their academic mandate.

On the other hand, MBBS interns also joined the protest and complained about the low stipend. In Punjab, MBBS interns currently receive a stipend of Rs 15,000 per month.

“The Punjab government has recently introduced a Rs 20 lakh bond policy for MBBS and BDS admissions, adding to the financial burden on students,” said one of the protesting interns.

The interns have demanded a hike in stipend from Rs 15,000 to at least Rs 30,000 or on par with the central institution. Expressing their grievances over the disparity, an intern said, “We are doing almost the same amount of work as first-year junior residents but are compensated with a mere sum of Rs 15,000 for 12-hour shifts.”