Demand for Rs 15,000 stipend for MBBS interns of Gian Sagar Medical College: Harsimrat Kaur Badal writes to Dr Harsh Vardhan

Chandigarh -  Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Saturday demanded appropriate stipend for medical interns of Gian Sagar Medical College, Banur and asked the state as well as central governments to intervene and ensure that their grievances were redressed.

In a letter written to the Union Health Minister as well as Secretary of the empowered group on public grievance and suggestions, Mrs Badal apprised them about the finance troubles being faced by the medical interns of Gian Sagar Medical College, Banur.

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She said a large number of the interns had approached her to complain that they were not getting any stipend for working as medical interns in Government Medical Colleges which was a grave violation of standard norms laid for all medical colleges by the Medical Council of India.

"This situation needs to be corrected immediately as these interns are assisting the state in its fight against COVID-19," she added.

The Union minister further stressed in the latter, a copy of which also forwarded to OP Soni, Minister for medical education and research, Punjab that demoralizing our medical staff at this time of crisis would prove detrimental to the State.

"So the concerns of Medical interns must be addressed immediately as these people have been putting their lives to grave risk to protect us from COVID".

She said earlier interns of Government Medical college Amritsar had raised the issue of low stipend which later enhanced from Rs. 9,000 to Rs 15,000 by the state government.

Demanding Rs 15,000 per month stipend for the medical interns of Gian Sagar Medical College, Banur also, Mrs. Badal said it was unfortunate that the Punjab government, as well as private medical colleges, were charging more fee than their counterparts in neighboring states as well as the central institutes but giving less or no stipend to their medical interns.

"The state and Central governments should take action against those private medical colleges indulging in this malpractice".

She said interns should not be exploited in any way and should be encouraged for the crucial duty there were rendering.

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