Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
Medical interns in Jammu and Kashmir have agreed to call off their strike and resume duties after the government assured them that their demand for enhancement of the monthly stipend would be resolved within 30 days.
The decision followed a meeting between Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Masood Itoo and a delegation of medical interns representing various medical colleges across the Union Territory.
The interns had been demanding revision of their monthly stipend, currently around Rs 12,300, citing their workload, emergency duties and responsibilities in government hospitals.
According to the record note of the meeting, the government decided to take the matter to its “logical conclusion” within 30 days, based on the recommendations of the committee constituted to examine the issue of stipend enhancement.
The government’s assurance came as the interns sought a time-bound resolution to their long-pending demand.
In view of the commitment, the delegation agreed to call off the strike and resume their assigned duties in the interest of patient care.
The decision brings an end to the immediate standoff between the protesting interns and the administration, while placing the focus on the committee’s recommendations and the government’s promised action within the stipulated 30-day period.
