‘Don’t make us beg’: Osmania Medical College resident doctors not paid for 7 months

NEW DELHI: Seven months after joining, the first-year postgraduate medical residents of Osmania Medical College still await stipend. Osmania Telangana Junior Resident Doctors Association has written to the Osmania Medical College principal warning protest from September 12, 2022.

In a letter addressing to the principal of Osmania Medical College, Koti, Hyderabad, the state junior resident doctors association wrote, “First year postgraduate residents have been working tirelessly since February 1, 2022, without payment of their stipends. It’s been seven months since they joined their course. Osmania JUDA made serial representations regarding this and the issues are not resolved as promised.”

The resident doctors said that it is “inhumane” to ask PG students to work seven continuous months without being paid.

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“As a last resort, Osmania JUDA is forced to call for a strike”. It further said that the resident doctors will be boycotting all services, excluding emergency services, from September 12 if stipend due till date are not paid by September 11, 2022.

Voicing support for the resident doctors in Telangana, Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) tweeted, “Resident Doctors are already overstressed. At least don't make them beg for their livelihood. Kindly take note of grievances and release their salaries.”

Resident Doctors are already overstressed. Atleast don't make them beg for their livelihood. Kindly take note of grievances and release their salaries. @JudaTelangana @trsharish @TelanganaCMO @DMETELANGANA @TOIIndiaNews @NMC_IND @MoHFW_INDIA @htTweets https://t.co/eGHSu4GgIN

— FORDA INDIA (@FordaIndia) September 6, 2022

Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA), working for reforms in the present healthcare sector especially in rural areas of Telangana, tagged minister for finance, health medical and family welfare Harish Rao Thanneeru, and asked, “Do health officials follow your directions at all? 2 months past review meeting on regularisation of stipends and salaries to PGs and contract employees but still 7 months and 3 months payments due respectively.”

The situation in Bihar state-run government medical colleges is similar to that of Telangana. Bihar MBBS interns staged a protest in August demanding a hike in their monthly stipend from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000. The MBBS interns of Lata Mangeshkar Hospital Nagpur and NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences were also protesting against a meagre salary of Rs 100 per day.

In 2021, the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) proposal to let the “fee fixation authority” of an institution, university or state to decide the stipend to be paid to MBBS interns was strongly criticised. The NMC draft regualtion stated, “All interns shall be paid stipend as fixed by the appropriate fee fixation authority applicable to the institution/university/state.”