Examiner News Desk | Srinagar:
The long-pending dispute over the stipend of MBBS and BDS interns in Jammu and Kashmir is set for another showdown, with the Association of Interns and Medical Students Association (AIMSA) giving the government five days to issue a formal order on the proposed enhancement.
The latest deadline was conveyed on Wednesday after a delegation of medical interns and AIMSA representatives met Peerzada Zahoor Ahmad, JKAS, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Minister for Health and Medical Education, to seek an update on the status of the government’s decision.
According to AIMSA, the delegation was informed that the required processing and signatures at the relevant levels had been completed and that the formal order was expected to be issued within the next few days.
Taking the assurance into account, the interns agreed to defer further agitation for the time being, but made it clear that they would wait only five more days for the government to fulfil the commitment.
AIMSA State President Dr Mohammad Momin Khan said the administration must now translate its assurance into a formal government order.
“The government must hike the stipend within the given timeframe. We have already waited for a long time and now expect the written assurance to be honoured without any further delay,” Khan said.
The association warned that failure to issue the order within the five-day period could trigger a fresh round of agitation. AIMSA said it would subsequently hold a press conference in Srinagar to announce its next course of action.
The latest development comes nearly a month after MBBS and BDS interns suspended their agitation following a written government assurance that the issue would be finalised within 30 days.
On September 8, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Masood Itoo met representatives of the protesting interns and assured them that the matter would be finalised within 30 days on the basis of the recommendations of the Stipend Enhancement Committee. The interns subsequently called off their strike and resumed duties, citing the larger interest of patient care and their academic and professional responsibilities.
The committee was constituted under Government Order No. 538-JK(HME) of 2023. The issue had also come up in the J&K Legislative Assembly earlier this year, when the government said the committee had recommended increasing the monthly stipend from Rs 12,300 to Rs 25,000 and that the proposal was awaiting financial concurrence.
The Finance Department subsequently took up the matter. In a communication dated September 15, it asked the Health and Medical Education Department to examine the demand for enhancement of the stipend and take further necessary action in accordance with rules. The Finance Department also called for a review of the existing fee structure and its rationalisation or alignment with structures followed in other States and Union Territories.
The interns, however, have been seeking a higher revision—from the existing Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000 per month—arguing that the current stipend has remained unchanged for years despite inflation, increased workload and the demanding nature of internship duties.
MBBS and BDS interns across government medical colleges and hospitals had launched an indefinite strike in August over the issue. They said they routinely perform duties in emergency departments, outpatient departments and wards, including night and extended shifts and, in some cases, rural postings.
The interns have repeatedly stressed that they want a formal government notification rather than assurances alone.
The latest five-day window comes as the administration faces renewed pressure to conclude a process that has remained pending for years. With the interns having temporarily deferred further agitation on the latest assurance, the government now faces a fresh deadline to convert the administrative process into a formal order.
For the interns, the issue is no longer simply about a proposed increase in remuneration but about the implementation of a commitment that has already prompted them to suspend their protests once before.
AIMSA has also appealed to Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo to personally intervene and ensure that the process is completed without further delay.
The association said its decision to wait for another five days was based solely on the latest assurance from the authorities and warned that failure to honour the commitment would leave the interns with little option but to resume their agitation.
