Telangana hikes stipends for AYUSH house surgeons, PG students on par with allopathic trainees

Hyderabad: After a month-long protest over stipend disparity, the Telangana Government has announced a major hike in stipends for House Surgeons and postgraduate students in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani and Naturopathy, bringing them on par with their allopathic counterparts.

As per the revised rates, the monthly stipend for 405 AYUSH House Surgeons has been increased from Rs 13,754 to Rs 29,792. For 393 postgraduate scholars, the stipend has been increased from Rs 30,947 to Rs 67,032 for first-year students, from Rs 32,665 to Rs 70,757 for second-year students, and from Rs 34,385 to Rs 74,482 for third-year students.

The decision comes as a major relief to AYUSH house surgeons and postgraduate doctors, who had staged a 28-day indefinite strike over the disparity in stipends between them and allopathy medical trainees.

Also read- Telangana AYUSH doctors call off strike after stipend hike assurance

Why were the interns protesting?

AYUSH students and doctors in Telangana had launched an indefinite strike on August 4, demanding parity in stipends with their allopathic counterparts. The 28-day indefinite strike was called by the Telangana AYUSH Joint Action Committee (AYUSH-JAC), which began at the Govt Ayurvedic Medical College in Erragadda and Ananthalakshmi Govt Ayurvedic Medical College in Warangal before spreading across the state.

The protesters argued that they were performing duties comparable to those of allopathic medical trainees while receiving substantially lower stipends. They also pointed out that while the allopathic students received stipend revision eight times over 15 years, AYUSH students only received three revisions during the same period.

As per a TOI media report, around 1,000 medicos had stepped away from routine duties, including inpatient care, while undergraduate students also joined the protest in solidarity.

However, the students and doctors called off their strike on August 31st after receiving assurance from Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha while awaiting the formal GO. During the meeting, the Minister had promised to address their long-pending demand.

Subsequently, the state government issued a GO 356 on September 8, approving the stipend hike.

Government order on stipend increase

The government has approved an increase in the monthly stipends of House Surgeons and postgraduate students studying in AYUSH institutions on par with those given to corresponding allopathic junior doctors and PG students.

In the order, the monthly stipend for AYUSH House Surgeons has been increased from Rs 13,754 to Rs 29,792. This will benefit 405 House Surgeons across Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani and Naturopathy institutions.

For AYUSH PG students, the stipend has been increased from Rs 30,947 to Rs 67,032 for first-year students, from Rs 32,665 to Rs 70,757 for second-year students, and from Rs 34,385 to Rs 74,482 for third-year students. A total of 393 PG students will benefit from the revision.

Overall, the enhanced stipends will benefit 798 AYUSH students in Telangana.

Also read- Telangana AYUSH House Surgeons continue indefinite strike over stipend hike