Meagre Rs 12000 a month! JnK MBBS Interns Demand Stipend Hike
Non-Payment of Stipend
Srinagar: MBBS interns from medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir have made an appeal to the state Government and the Health and Medical Education Department, seeking an increase in their monthly stipend to Rs 26,350 following the recommendations of a committee under the Director Finance of the department.
The medicos referred to the recommendations of a government-appointed committee, which had advocated for a substantial hike. A delegation of interns recalled that the government had constituted a committee under the Director Finance of the H&ME Department through order number 538 JK-HME dated 27-06-2023. The committee submitted its report in August 2023, recommending an increase in the stipend to Rs 26,350, aligning it with half the basic pay of a Medical Officer in J&K, as per National Medical Commission norms, reports the Rising Kashmir.
Currently drawing a monthly stipend of Rs 12,000, a delegation of interns expressed concern that their remuneration is far below what their counterparts in other medical and dental colleges across the country receive. “Surprisingly, the stipends of interns in the rest of the country were hiked twice to thrice in the last five years leaving us to suffer,” the delegation members told Rising Kashmir.
However, the interns stated that the proposal has been pending with the Finance Department since January 2024, with no further movement for over a year. In October 2024, some interns had also met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar, where he assured them that there would be no inequality between J&K interns and those in other states. Despite that assurance, the issue remains unresolved.
“We work diligently, often putting in extra hours and performing every duty of a resident doctor, yet our compensation is lower than that of daily laborers,” said one of the interns at Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag.
The interns pointed out that their stipend was last revised in January 2019, during the Governor’s rule, and has since remained unchanged, making it the lowest in the country. They had hoped that the committee’s recommendations would finally bring parity, but the prolonged inaction has left them discouraged.
“Since the Finance Department falls under the domain of CM, we request his intervention to grant budgetary approval for the stipend hike. It would bring immense relief and recognition to interns who are at the frontline of patient care,” said another member of the delegation.
Last week, representatives from various Government Medical Colleges in J&K once again met with the Deputy Chief Minister, Advisor to the Chief Minister, and the Health Minister, urging them to address the long-standing issue. They submitted a detailed memorandum outlining the urgency of implementing the revised stipend structure and called on the Chief Minister to personally intervene, citing growing financial burdens and widening disparities with other states.
