JnK MBBS interns demand fair stipend

Jammu: MBBS interns of Jammu and Kashmir are currently getting a stipend of around Rs 12000 and expressing deep frustration over receiving the lowest amount of stipend in the country, the interns have now urged the higher authorities to increase their stipend.

The stipend amount of JnK MBBS interns is in stark contrast with their counterparts in Karnataka, who get a substantially higher monthly stipend of 33,000 rupees, in Assam they are paid ₹30,000, while Delhi pays ₹26,300 to its MBBS interns, Kerala pays ₹25,000, West Bengal ₹20,850 and Bihar pays to ₹20,000 its MBBS interns.

Multiple meetings with officials, as recounted by interns from the Sher e Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) to The Kashmiriyat, have yielded no result.

One MBBS intern said, “Despite the fact that we work day and night and barely find time to do anything else, we are the least paid people, which is highly unfortunate.”

“Being on a strike, we would be highly unethical, because patient care would immensely suffer, but it looks like the Jammu Kashmir admin wants to leave us with no option, but to start a strike to demand the increase of our monthly stipend,” the MBBS intern told The Kashmiriyat.

The plight of these interns has been a recurring concern among health professionals for the past four years, prompting repeated representations to officials. In response, the Health and Medical Education Department established a committee in July 2023 to assess the financial repercussions of the inadequate stipend. Despite the committee's recommendation for a stipend increase, no action has been taken thus far, leaving interns financially strained.

“I am presently doing internship in SKIMS Medical College. We are paid 12,300 rupees a month with leaves, which estimates to 400 per day which is even less than the minimum wages paid to unskilled labour all over the country. The stipend of J K Medical interns is less than National average in Central Institute of Government of India recently increase the stable from 26350 to 30,070 but we are still being paid 400 rupees per day,” an MBBS intern from SKIMS told the daily.

On June 27, 2023, the Jammu Kashmir admin addressed the repeated stipend issue of the doctors and ordered the constitution of a committee under order number 538-JK (H&ME) of 2023, dated 27-06-2023. The Committee was instructed to submit its recommendations regarding the reasonable enhancement of stipend in favour of MBBS/BDS interns in different Government Medical/Dental Colleges of Jammu & Kashmir within a period of 15 days.

“The Stipend of MBBS interns of J&K is at present amongst the lowest in the country at an average of 400 per day ( 12,300 per month). Even a highly skilled worker on a job like the construction of roads and buildings is entitled to a daily wage of 876 as per order No. F.No.1/4(3)/2022-LS-II dated 12-08-2022 of Ministry of Labor & Employment, GOL,” the letter highlighted.

Following this, the office of the dean of GMC Jammu wrote a letter to the Administrative Secretary of the Health and Medical Education Department of Jammu Kashmir on 18 July 2023 supporting justifying the demands of the medical students and pointing out that the stipend of MBBS interns in Jammu Kashmir was the lowest in the country. The report added that the intern doctors are responsible for supporting their family and present amount of stipend is the lowest amongst the other colleges and institutions.

“In the lights of above stated facts, it is humbly requested that stipend of the interns may kindly be enhanced to 26,350 per month amounting to 50% of the Basic pay of Medical officers in UT of J&K being paid 52, 700 per month at present so that our daily income amounts to ₹ 870 which will be at par with the daily wage of a highly skilled worker as per the Ministry of Labour and Employment, GOI," the report added.

“I am presently doing an internship at SKIMS Medical College. We are paid 12,300 rupees a month with leaves, which estimates to 400 per day which is even less than the minimum wages paid to unskilled labour all over the country. The stipend of J K Medical interns is less than National average in Central Institute of Government of India recently increased the stable from 26350 to 30,070 but we are still being paid 400 rupees per day,” he told The Kashmiriyat.

Medical Dialogues had last year reported about the glaring disparities in the amount of stipend paid to the Undergraduate and Postgraduate medical students across the country.