Rights panel asks medical college to release stipend to resident doctor

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has asked the Kozhikode Government Medical College authorities to release stipend to a senior resident doctor, who has been denied the benefit after he went abroad for the cancer treatment of his wife.

In an order issued on Tuesday, commission judicial member P. Mohanadas said the stipend was denied to the postgraduate medical student bypassing a government order to release it. The resident doctor’s wife was diagnosed with cancer while she was pregnant. She later gave birth to twin babies. The resident doctor took leave for 144 days and went to the United States after getting permission from the Director of Medical Education (DME), on condition that he would work for an equal number of days after return. The superintendent of the medical college, however, said in a report to the commission that stipend could not be released if the number of leaves exceeded 45 days.

The commission said in its order that it was a wrong precedent to deny the stipend bypassing the direction of the DME. The panel asked the Health Secretary and the DME to take steps to release the stipend and submit a report.