Srinagar, September 1(KNS): Senior PDP leader and in-charge of Doru Assembly Constituency, Mohammed Ashraf Malik, on Tuesday extended support to MBBS and BDS interns protesting at government medical colleges and SKIMS Bemina, and urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to revise their stipend.
Malik said medical interns were performing critical duties, including emergency services, night shifts and rural postings, while receiving a monthly stipend of Rs 12,300, which, he claimed, had remained unchanged for nearly seven years.
He said the existing stipend amounted to around Rs 400 per day and was inadequate considering the workload and responsibilities shouldered by interns.
“Medical interns are not merely trainees; they are an essential part of our healthcare system. They work long hours, attend emergencies and serve patients even in difficult rural postings. Paying them a stipend that does not reflect their workload and responsibilities is unfair and demoralising,” Malik said.
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The PDP leader also highlighted the disparity in stipends between Jammu and Kashmir and other states.
He cited Odisha, where medical interns receive around Rs 44,319 per month, and said interns in J&K continued to receive substantially less.
Malik urged the administration and concerned authorities to engage with the protesting interns and resolve the issue at the earliest.
He backed the interns' demand for increasing the monthly stipend to Rs 30,000, saying it would recognise their contribution to the healthcare system and provide them with a more dignified level of compensation.
“Those who stand at the frontline of patient care deserve dignity, fair compensation and respect. The government must listen to our young doctors and address their genuine demands at the earliest,” he said.(KNS).