GMC Patiala resident doctors to protest on June 28; demand stipend hike, MBBS fee revision

The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) at Government Medical College (GMC) and Rajindra Hospital (RH) in Patiala will hold a protest on June 28, by shutting down all the OPDs and OTs at the medical colleges to demand revision of MBBS fee hike, stipend, long working hours, and administrative overburden.

RDA at GMC and Rajindra Hospital has sent an open letter to the health minister, vice chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), and chief secretary of health regarding the protests.

There are six key issues raised by the RDA, which are being protested by RDA in Faridkot as well as by the Federation of Resident Doctor Association Punjab (FORD).

The foremost of RDA demands include rollback of a fee hike for the bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery (MBBS) degree, along with a two-year bond policy on graduates. The letter states that Punjab has the highest MBBS fees in the country, and lowest intern stipend. This violates the constitutional right to affordable and equitable education for all.

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Illegal university fees

Doctors are protesting the inexplicably high fees at BFUHS. The letter cited the thesis submission fees, which stands at Rs 22,000 - the highest in India. It also refers to high amounts taken for library fees and health science charges.

The Resident Doctors Association demanded for increased stipends in the face of “spiralling inflation and living costs” and stagnant stipends for interns and residents. They asked for dearness allowance (DA) to be linked to the stipend, as is the norm in other government organisations.

Inhumane working hours

The hospital strike by the doctors is also against the “inhumane” working hours, often exceeding 100 hours per week. The letter stated that long working hours are a direct violation of the rules set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and international labour norms. They demanded work of 48 hours per week, with mandatory weekly holidays.

The doctors protest is also demanding a reinstatement of Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA), which they describe as a “legitimate right” for doctors barred from private practice.

The RDA strike of 2025 is also protesting clerical and administrative burden on resident doctors, like file duty and Emergency Medical Officer (EMO) duty, which is a violation of the guidelines laid down by National Medical Commission (NMC).