Gujarat: GMERS Medical College interns on strike over COVID-duty allowance

NEW DELHI: The intern doctors of GMERS Medical College and Civil Hospital, Gandhinagar, have gone on strike today from 9am onwards regarding the issue of COVID-19 allowance. According to Gujarat Intern Doctors’ Association (GIDA), there are as many as 150 interns who have gone on strike. The interns are sitting outside the campus of their colleges asking for the allowance that was promised to them by the state government.

According to the order of health and family welfare department of Gujarat, dated April 12, the medical interns of all government and GMERS medical colleges who were on COVID-duty were supposed to receive a COVID allowance of Rs 5,000 per month from March to June.

However, many intern doctors have not received the allowance yet. As a result, they have gone on strike starting from 9am onwards today.

Intern Doctors of GMERS Medical College & Civil Hospital, Gandhinagar will go on Strike from 9 AM Onwards(14th July,2021) regarding issue of Covid Allowance.

Intern Doctors of other GMERS Medical Colleges will join them if issue won't be solved by State Government.@GujHFWDept

— Gujarat Intern Doctors' Association - GIDA (@GIDA_Official) July 13, 2021

The interns have been fighting for their allowance for a while. "Intern doctors of GMERS Colleges also gave representation to CEO of GMERS and deans of their respective colleges on 16th June," said GIDA in a social media post on July 13. "Final ultimatum...ended today and they will go on strike from tomorrow." The intern doctors of other colleges will also join the strike if the issue is not resolved by the state government, the association said.

On May 4, 2021, the national medical commission had announced that it would be mandatory for the intern doctors to go on COVID-duty considering the pandemic after the prime minister Narendra Modi, directed medical interns to be deployed on COVID-duty. In turn, they were promised an allowance in addition to their stipend. The decision was taken to increase the manpower to fight the pandemic.

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