SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani on Tuesday said the issue over the stipend of MBBS interns and other students was being actively considered, expressing hope that it would be resolved within hours.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Wani said Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo was personally pursuing the matter with the concerned authorities.
“The matter of MBBS interns and other students is under consideration. The Health Minister is on it and she is talking with the concerned at the moment,” Wani said.
“I hope the issue will be resolved in the coming hours, not in days,” he added.
The statement came as MBBS trainee doctors at government medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir continued their protest seeking a substantial revision in their monthly stipend.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had on Monday expressed concern over the issue and called for an early resolution. He said the matter fell within the Health Department’s jurisdiction and that other departments could not take a decision until the concerned department acted.
“As far as I know, she has been given an assurance. But you should ask Sakina about what will happen next,” Omar had said.
“I would like this matter to be resolved as soon as possible. This is not for anyone’s benefit. First of all, her work is suffering. Her internship is suffering. And we don’t want our children to do this,” he had said.
Meanwhile, MBBS and BDS interns across Jammu and Kashmir continued their 48-hour hunger strike on Tuesday, pressing the government to raise their monthly stipend and issue a formal order implementing the enhancement.
