NAGPUR: Months have passed since they were recognized as ‘Covid warriors’, but intern doctors in government medical colleges are yet to get their revised stipends. Recently, finance minister Ajit Pawar had announced that these doctors will get additional incentives for their service during Covid-19 peak. But nothing has happened. Now, the interns have decided to resort to a no-cooperation agitation from January 18.
Dr Sameer Mandhane, of IGGMCH Nagpur, who is Vidarbha region coordinator of Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) Maharashtra, told TOI that interns are still getting only Rs 11,000 per month as stipend.
“Our work equals the work of resident doctors. We should get incentives in stipend at least during pandemic work,” he said, adding that finance minister Ajit Pawar had promised to allot incentives.
“The last verbal assurance was given to us on December 22. We had asked for written assurance, which has still not been given. State body of ASMI has decided to resort to a strike from January 18,” he added. More than 150 doctors from IGGMCH and about 450 in other medical colleges in Vidarbha will join the strike.
Interns are MBBS pass-outs serving in government hospitals before they go for MD/MS. During Covid-19 pandemic, young interns are serving in Covid wards right from the beginning. As cases were higher, they were roped in first in Mumbai, Pune and later in IGGMCH Nagpur and GMCH Akola. Standard stipend of interns is Rs11,000 per month, as fixed by the state government.
However, since they were involved in Covid-19 work, they were allotted higher incentives in Mumbai and Pune. Interns get Rs59,000 monthly in Mumbai, and Rs30,000 in Pune as local municipal authorities pay the difference. In Vidarbha, repeated requests and memorandums have failed to bring them the additional stipend. TOI Nagpur had written about the issue of interns stipend in July and September 2020.