RML Lucknow MBBS interns protest demanding stipend hike to Rs 30k
Lucknow: Alleging that the current stipend amount is too low considering their workload and responsibilities, a group of MBBS interns at the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) staged a protest demanding a hike in their monthly stipend from Rs 12,000 to Rs 30,000.
The interns gathered outside the institute's administrative building recently and raised slogans in support of their demand. As the protest continued, they attempted to march towards the main road but were stopped by police and institute security personnel. The demonstration, however, continued inside the campus.
According to the protesting interns, they work between 8 and 12 hours every day but receive only Rs 12,000 a month, which they said works out to around Rs 400 per day. They claimed this is one of the lowest stipends paid to MBBS interns in the country.
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The interns demanded that the stipend be revised to at least Rs 1,000 per day, or Rs 30,000 per month, stating that it would be a fair payment for the long working hours and responsibilities they shoulder during internship.
They said the protest was aimed at drawing attention to the issue and pressing for a long-pending revision. "MBBS interns work 8 to 12 hours a day but receive only ₹12,000 a month, which comes to around ₹400 per day. This is even lower than the daily wages earned by many labourers," one of the protesters told HT.
Responding to the protest, RMLIMS director Prof CM Singh said, "The protest was part of a statewide agitation by MBBS interns seeking a stipend revision. We have received a memorandum from the protesting intern doctors, which will be forwarded to the state government for appropriate action."
The protesting interns urged both the institute administration and the state government to take an early decision on their long-pending demand and revise the stipend at the earliest.
