Srinagar, Sept 3 (JKNS): MBBS trainee doctors across government medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir continued their indefinite strike for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, demanding a substantial revision in their monthly stipend and warning of a hunger strike if the government fails to address their demand by Sunday.
The protesting doctors have been on strike since August 31, seeking an increase in the monthly stipend from the existing ₹12,300 to at least ₹30,000.
A group of protesters told news agency JKNS that, they want a concrete decision from the government rather than repeated assurances that the matter is under process.
The trainee doctors have been holding protest demonstrations and sit-ins on their respective college premises, including at SKIMS, Soura, with participants urging the administration to resolve the issue at the earliest.
Dr Ahmad Faraz Malik, one of the protesting trainee doctors at SKIMS, said the strike was not intended to inconvenience patients or increase the workload on senior doctors, but was being undertaken after repeated delays in resolving their demand.
“Our strike is for an indefinite period. We do not want the workload to increase on our seniors or patients to face difficulties,” he said.
Malik said trainee doctors had been hearing since 2023 that the stipend revision was under consideration, but no concrete action had followed.
“We do not want verbal assurances. We want a reasonable increase in the stipend and action on the ground,” he said.
Other protesting trainee doctors, including Dr Momina and Dr Saima, said they felt the existing stipend was disproportionately low compared to the amounts being paid to trainee doctors in several other states.
“Isn’t this discrimination and sheer injustice when we perform duties for 10 to 12 hours a day?” the protesters said.
The protesting doctors said merely acknowledging that their demand was genuine would not be sufficient and urged the elected government to take a concrete decision.
They said the Chief Minister and Health and Medical Education Minister should intervene and resolve the matter, adding that the strike would continue until a formal assurance regarding the stipend hike is given by the competent authorities.
Malik said the protesting doctors had given the government time until Sunday to accept their demand and raise the monthly stipend to at least ₹30,000.
“If our demand is not addressed by Sunday, MBBS trainee doctors will begin a hunger strike across all government medical colleges from Monday, September 7,” he said.
He added that three to four trainee doctors at each medical college would sit on hunger strike every day and continue the protest until the government takes a decision on the stipend revision.
The doctors said they remained hopeful that the government would intervene before the situation escalates and that their demand would be resolved through dialogue and a formal decision. (JKNS)
