SRINAGAR : CPI(M) leader and Kulgam MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday backed the ongoing strike by MBBS and BDS interns across Jammu and Kashmir, urging the administration to immediately revise their monthly stipend from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000.
Medical interns at SKIMS Bemina, GMC Srinagar, GMC Jammu, GMC Anantnag and GMC Baramulla have been on an indefinite strike since August 31 over the stipend issue.
Tarigami said the demand for an increase was justified, noting that the current stipend had remained unchanged for nearly six years.
“These are young men and women who have spent years training to serve the sick, and today they stand on the roads instead of inside hospitals, because the system has failed to value their labour,” he said.
He said interns frequently attend to patients in emergency wards and work shifts extending up to 24 or even 36 hours, making the existing stipend inadequate.
Tarigami also referred to a committee constituted by the Health and Medical Education Department in 2023, which, according to him, had recommended increasing the stipend to around Rs 25,000. He questioned why no formal order had been issued despite the recommendation.
He further said the issue raised concerns about equal pay, pointing out that interns in J&K receive significantly lower stipends than their counterparts in several other states despite performing similar duties.
Tarigami urged the Health and Medical Education Minister and the administration to resolve the matter without further delay and issue a formal order revising the stipend.
“Doctors who serve patients round the clock deserve dignity, not delay,” he said, warning that continued inaction could affect healthcare services at government hospitals and ultimately inconvenience patients.
