Pitiful: IGMCRI MBBS Interns on COVID-19 duty getting only Rs 5,000 pm

Puducherry - A memorandum was submitted to the government by the intern doctors of Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Research Institute (IGMCRI) in Puducherry where they expressed their demands of a stipend hike. According to the intern doctors, they are receiving a lesser stipend in comparison to their counterparts in other government medical colleges across the country.

At a time like this, when all the doctors and health workers are hailed as the warriors fighting Covid-19, these intern doctors are working with their full capacity all through the day overcoming various physical and psychological perils, but the government has failed to alleviate their grievances.

According to the scheme of MGREGA, the minimum wages allotted for the doctor are Rs 256 a day, but these interns are receiving only Rs163 per day. Thus a stipend of only Rs 5000 per month is attributed to them when other interns at Government Medical College hospitals all over India are receiving at least Rs 20,000 per month.

 It was pointed out that the IGMCRI, which has the highest fee structure among all government institutions in the country, has the lowest intern doctor stipend. The fees at the IGMCRI is close to Rs 1 lakh per year.

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The Interns stated that they have made multiple requests to the students' council to look into the matter and take necessary steps, but all the efforts have brought no result. The memorandum stated that 'often it takes more than 6 months to get our stipend. Even after hiking our fees by 110% in the last two years, we are not paid like other state government medical college students. We have taken these issues many times to our students Association but it has not been resolved.'

"Sometimes it takes more than six months to get this rock bottom stipend. Even after paying the fees which were hiked more than 110% in the past two years, we are not getting equal pay compared to other state government medical colleges. These issues have been represented multiple times by our students' associations but it is bitter to say it has not been heard in the past," said a memorandum submitted by the intern doctors to the government.

GMCRI dean and director (in-charge) Dr Sivagnanam told TOI that they have received several petitions requesting a stipend equal to that of other Government Colleges. He further added, "They have forwarded the representation to the health secretary. We are actively following up and working on their demands."