Uttarakhand resident doctors postpone strike after health minister's assurance on stipend revision

Dehradun: Postgraduate resident doctors from government medical colleges and hospitals across Uttarakhand, who were on an indefinite strike since September 7 over their long-standing demand for a stipend revision, have postponed their protest following assurances from the Health Minister.

The decision to temporarily call off the strike on September 16 came after Health Minister Dr Subodh Uniyal visited the protest site and spoke directly with the resident doctors.

According to a post shared on X by the Uttarakhand Resident Doctors' United, the association that called the strike, the minister assured the protesting doctors that the Uttarakhand government stands with the medical fraternity and will raise their concerns in the upcoming cabinet meeting.

"We welcome this positive assurance with utmost respect and look forward to the forthcoming Cabinet decision translating these commitments into an official Government Order," the association wrote in the X post.

Also read- Around 750 doctors on protest in Uttarakhand demanding stipend hike

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the resident doctors launched the indefinite strike after not receiving any response from the government for a long time. They claimed that their current stipend is extremely low considering their responsibilities, workload and long duty hours and therefore demanded the stipend enhancement.

Maintaining that they are not seeking any special facilities but fair remuneration, the resident doctors had demanded a stipend of Rs 90,000 and above, depending on the year of residency, for PG doctors and Rs 1 lakh for senior resident doctors. Currently, they receive between Rs 69,820 and Rs 71,257 per month.

Recently, the Health Minister, along with the Health Secretary, Additional Health Secretary and Director of Medical Education, held a meeting with the protesting doctors and representatives of the Uttarakhand Resident Doctors' United after visiting the protesting site.

In a press release, the association stated that during the meeting, the authorities assured the representatives that the matter of stipend revision will be placed before the upcoming Cabinet meeting, which is expected to be held before the end of this month.

In view of this assurance, the association collectively decided to postpone the ongoing strike until the upcoming Cabinet meeting.

"We sincerely hope that the assurance given by the concerned authorities will be honoured and that a concrete decision regarding stipend revision will be taken at the upcoming Cabinet meeting. In case the promised revision is not undertaken or a satisfactory decision is not reached, Uttarakhand Resident Doctors will collectively decide upon the further course of action. We remain committed to pursuing our legitimate demands through peaceful and democratic means and appreciate the authorities for engaging in dialogue with resident doctors," the doctors said in the press note.

In its X post, the association said, "On Day 10 of our ongoing strike, Uttarakhand resident doctors witnessed an encouraging and dignified gesture of outreach. Hon’ble Cabinet Minister Dr. Subodh Uniyal ji personally visited our protest site to interact directly with the striking resident doctors, reassuring us that the Government of Uttarakhand stands in full support of our frontline medical fraternity."

The association also thanked the Director of Medical Education and the Medical Superintendent of Doon Medical College for consistently raising their concerns with the government and expressed gratitude to medical associations, senior faculty members and resident doctors across the country for their support. 

Also read- Uttarakhand doctors' strike continues- MBBS interns demand Rs 30,000 stipend, PG residents Rs 1 lakh per month