PGI Chandigarh approves long pending demands for Paid Maternity Leave Benefits to PG Medical Students

Chandigarh: Bringing good news to the female Postgraduate medical students pursuing MD/MS and DM/MCh courses, the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh has approved them maternity leave benefits.

Issuing an Office order in this regard, the institute mentioned, "Sanction is hereby accorded for the grant of Maternity Leave Benefits to female senior/junior residents pursuing DM/ M.Ch & MD/MS Courses of the Institute, and accordingly they will be paid salary during their extended period of working in the Institute."

"The same is implemented with immediate effect," further stated the order dated 17.04.2023.

Welcoming the decision, the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) of PGIMER thanked the Director of the Institute and mentioned in a Tweet, "This has been a long pending demand or rather the responsibility to give #MaternityBenefits to our residents. Thanks to @dpgi_chandigarh now MD/MS/DM/MCH residents can avail maternity benefits at #PGIMER #Chandigarh."

Commenting on the matter, the President of PGIMER ARD, Dr. Naveen told Medical Dialogues, "If during the three-year course tenure of MD/MS and DM/MCh, the female doctors get pregnant, according to the rules, they need to serve an extended period of training without pay. Because of this rule, the doctors cannot plan their children and it affects their family life as well."

"So, we had requested our director so that the female resident doctors can get paid for the extended period also. It was a long pending demand and our Director Prof Vivek Lal is very much resident friendly. He responded to our request and granted paid maternity leave benefits to the doctors. This is a very good move and we welcome this," he added.

Also Read: Maternity leave for PG medicos as per State Rules, Stipend if not during leave then in extended period: NMC

Speaking to Medical Dialogues in this regard, IMA JDN National standing committee member Dr. Karan Juneja appreciated the move and mentioned, "All the institutes across the nation should follow this example because paid maternity leave benefit is a basic right of the female resident doctors."

Earlier, raising the problems faced by the resident doctors to avail the maternity leave benefits, Medical Dialogues had reported that even though the Union Government of India has extended the benefit of maternity leave to all the women employees, the situation of PG medical students who undergo three years of training at the medical colleges fall in the grey area since they are considered as doctors undergoing academic training and not as employees.

While the doctors face confusion in the absence of any uniform rules, last year, National Medical Commission PG Board had stated that the matter regarding grant of maternity leave to PG medical students shall be regulated as per respective State Government rules.

Clarifying on the issue of Stipend, the Apex medical commission has mentioned that the students pursuing PG medical courses should be paid stipend for extended period of training, if it has not been provided during the leave period.

Also Read: Maternity Leave for PG Resident Doctors, Medicos Disappointed with NMC's cryptic Notice