600 Uttarakhand PG residents on strike over low stipend; threaten to boycott work, doctors' body writes to CM demanding Rs 1 lakh per month

Dehradun: Nearly 600 postgraduate (MD/MS) resident doctors from four government medical colleges in Uttarakhand have been protesting by wearing black ribbons since September 3, demanding a revision of their monthly stipend. They have also threatened to boycott work if the government fails to address their demand.

According to a latest report by TOI, the protesting residents are from Government Medical College Dehradun, Government Medical College Haldwani, Government Medical College Srinagar and Government Medical College Pauri.

The resident doctors have highlighted that their stipend is lower compared to that of their counterparts in several other states. They currently receive a monthly stipend ranging from Rs 69,820 to Rs 71,257, while the annual tuition fee for their clinical postgraduate courses is approximately Rs 5.35 lakh.

The residents said they first raised the issue with the authorities in March but decided to come out publicly in August after receiving no concrete solution.

As part of their peaceful protest, resident doctors started wearing black ribbons while on duty from September 3. They have also warned of an OPD boycott if the government fails to address their demand. However, resident doctors said they have currently decided to wait for another week following discussions with college authorities.

Speaking to TOI, one of the resident doctors said, "The students at the Govt Doon Medical College and Haldwani met the respective principals. The officials have told us to continue working as they will look for a solution. Now, we will wait for another week, failing which, we will go ahead with the strike. Despite the increasing workload, responsibilities, working hours and rising cost of living, there has been no corresponding revision in our stipend for almost 7-8 years."

Officials at the medical education department, meanwhile, said that the matter is being looked into.

Highlighting that the stipend paid to postgraduate resident doctors in Uttarakhand is comparatively low, the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) India has written to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister requesting for an increase in their monthly stipend to a minimum of Rs 1 lakh.

In its letter dated September 5, FORDA said that, as per the latest available Government Order (No. 43776/XXVIII(5)/2022, dated June 20, 2022), MD/MS residents in Uttarakhand receive a monthly stipend of approximately Rs 69,820 to Rs 71,257.

The association pointed out that the annual tuition fee for clinical MD/MS courses is around Rs 5.35 lakh, in addition to substantial expenses on accommodation, food, transportation, books, digital resources, research, conferences, and CME activities.

"This creates a disproportionate financial burden on resident doctors, who are also essential contributors to the government healthcare delivery system," FORDA said in the letter.

Sharing a comparative data submitted by the resident doctors, the association said that the data reveals significant stipend disparities across states in the country.

As per the data, Chandigarh pays a monthly stipend of Rs 1.20 lakh, while Uttar Pradesh pays Rs 1.10 lakh. The stipend in Manipur is from Rs 78,000 to Rs 96,000, while Haryana pays between Rs 86,170 and Rs 91,392.

FORDA said resident doctors in Madhya Pradesh receive Rs 88,000 per month, while the stipend in Gujarat is given from Rs 84,000 to Rs 87,500. In Bihar, the stipend ranges from Rs 82,000 to Rs 99,000, and in Jharkhand, it is between Rs 87,636 and Rs 92,668.

In comparison, Uttarakhand pays Rs 69,820 per month, according to the data cited in FORDA's representation. The association highlighted that the existing pay scale places Uttarakhand among the lowest-paying states for resident doctors in the region, causing substantial financial strain on young medical professionals.

"This places Uttarakhand among the lowest-paying states for PG medical residents, despite residents performing critical clinical duties including ward management, OPD services, emergency and ICU duties, operation theatre responsibilities, night calls, continuous patient monitoring, clinical procedures, documentation, teaching of MBBS students, and research activities often beyond prescribed hours," FORDA said.

Following this, the association has asked the government to revise the minimum monthly stipend for MD/MS residents to Rs 1,00,000, bringing Uttarakhand at par with neighbouring and peer states.

Along with this, it demanded the establishment of a mechanism for periodic stipend revision, linked to inflation, cost of living, postgraduate educational expenditure, and prevailing stipends in other states, and to provide a positive recommendation to the Government of Uttarakhand for immediate implementation of the above measures.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also escalated the matter to the Director General Medical Education (DGME), demanding consideration of an increase in the stipend paid to resident doctors.

Also read- Rs 30k stipend demand: JnK MBBS, BDS interns continue indefinite strike after govt talks fail