Telangana's medical college PG medicos allege unpaid stipend, poor infrastructure, Doctors' body seeks NMC action

Hyderabad: Demanding the immediate release of pending stipends and alleging the lack of essential basic infrastructure, several first-year postgraduate resident doctors of Dr Patnam Mahender Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences (DPMRIMS), Chevella, recently staged a protest on the college campus.

The students reportedly resorted to a sit-in protest on Tuesday after the college management allegedly failed to address their repeated demands over the past 10 days.

The protesting students alleged that their stipends were not being paid regularly every month. They also raised concerns over poor living conditions, including the lack of safe drinking water, inadequate hostel accommodation, and the absence of other essential basic amenities.

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Coming in support of the students, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) in a letter to the Chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC) demanded strict regulatory action against the management of Dr Patnam Mahender Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences (DPMRIMS), Chevella.

Despite clear directives regarding postgraduate training and welfare, the association said that the management of DPMRIMS has consistently failed to provide necessities to its doctors.

The primary issues include non-compliance with mandated stipends. FAIMA highlighted that the management has caused severe financial hardship by delaying and withholding monthly stipends. Furthermore, they refuse to pay the mandated amount of Rs 67,032 per month prescribed under the Government of Telangana G.O. Ms. No. 90 and G.O. Ms. No. 59.

Regarding the substandard working and living conditions, the association said the institution failed to maintain basic infrastructure, leaving residents with inadequate hostel accommodation, poorly maintained living areas, deficient duty rooms, lack of proper rest facilities, and highly unhygienic sanitation.

The doctors have also alleged about exploitive work environment at the college. It has been reported that residents are working prolonged duty hours, which severely compromises their health, postgraduate training, and patient safety.

"As the apex monitoring and regulatory authority of medical education in India, the National Medical Commission must hold this management accountable for violating basic institutional mandates," the letter mentioned. 

FAIMA requested the NMC to initiate an immediate inquiry/inspection into the infrastructure, duty room facilities, and hostel conditions at DPMRIMS, take strict regulatory action against the college management for non-payment of stipends and violation of Telangana Government Orders, compel the management to immediately release all pending stipends at the legally mandated rate of Rs 67,032 per month and ensure a safe, hygienic working environment and adequate infrastructure as per NMC guidelines.

Similarly, the Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA) Telangana strongly condemned the incident and said that postgraduate resident doctors, who render indispensable clinical services while simultaneously undergoing specialist training, are allegedly being denied their legitimate stipends and forced to agitate for their basic rights.

"Such a situation, if true, reflects a serious failure of institutional responsibility and cannot be accepted in any medical institution," the association said in a press release. 

"The non-payment of stipends is not merely an administrative lapse; it directly affects the livelihood and welfare of postgraduate resident doctors. For most MD/MS postgraduate students, the stipend is the primary source of financial support for accommodation, food, transportation, academic expenses, and other basic necessities. Delaying or withholding stipends places an unnecessary financial and psychological burden on young doctors who are already providing round-the-clock clinical services," the press note mentioned. 

The association urged the Directorate of Medical Education (DME), Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), the National Medical Commission (NMC), and the Government of Telangana to immediately inquire into the allegations.

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