SRINAGAR: The strike by MBBS and BDS intern doctors across Jammu and Kashmir entered its fourth day on Thursday, with the protesting interns warning that they would intensify their agitation and begin a hunger strike if the government fails to give a favourable response to their demands within the next two to three days.
The interns are demanding an increase in their monthly stipend from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000, arguing that the existing amount has remained unchanged for nearly seven years despite rising living costs and the nature of their hospital duties.
The indefinite strike began on August 31 at Government Medical Colleges across JK and SKIMS Medical College, Bemina, with interns withdrawing from routine duties as part of their protest.
The agitation has placed an additional workload on senior residents and postgraduate doctors involved in patient care at the affected hospitals.
The protesting interns have said they perform ward, emergency and other clinical duties, including prolonged shifts, while receiving about Rs 400 a day. They have also raised concerns over the disparity between their stipend and the amounts paid to medical interns in several other parts of the country.
The demand has received political backing. JK Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra has written to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seeking an increase in the stipend, while the BJP’s JK unit has also urged the Chief Minister and Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo to intervene.
Itoo has said the matter is under consideration and that the financial implications of the proposed increase are being examined by the Finance Department. She has acknowledged the need for an increase but expressed concern that the strike is affecting patient care.
The interns have given the government another two to three days to respond positively. They have warned that failure to address their demands within this period would lead to further escalation, including a hunger strike.
The dispute also dates back to a government committee constituted in June 2023, which reportedly recommended increasing the internship stipend to Rs 26,350. The recommendation, however, has not been implemented, according to reports.
The protesting doctors are now seeking implementation of a revised stipend and have maintained that they will intensify the agitation unless concrete action is taken by the concerned departments.
