Srinagar: Medical interns in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday warned of resuming their agitation if the government fails to issue an order enhancing their stipend within the next five days, saying they have already waited long enough for the promised relief.
A delegation of the Association of Interns and Medical Students Association (AIMSA) met Officer on Special Duty to the Minister for Health and Medical Education, Peerzada Zahoor Ahmad, to seek an update on the pending proposal regarding stipend enhancement for MBBS and BDS interns.
According to AIMSA, the officer informed the delegation that all necessary processing and approvals had been completed and assured them that the formal order would be issued within the stipulated timeframe.
Following the assurance, the interns decided to defer their proposed agitation for a few more days while setting a five-day deadline for the government.
AIMSA State President Dr Mohammad Momin Khan said the government must honour its commitment without further delay.
“We have already waited for a long time and now expect the written assurance to be implemented within the given timeframe,” he said.
The association warned that if the order is not issued within five days, interns would be left with no option but to resume their strike.
“If the order is not issued within the stipulated period, we will most likely restart our agitation and announce the next course of action through a press conference in Srinagar,” AIMSA said.
The issue pertains to a long-pending demand by MBBS and BDS interns for an increase in their monthly stipend from the existing ₹12,300 to ₹30,000.
The interns had suspended their agitation last month after Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo assured them that the stipend would be enhanced and a formal government order issued.
They had earlier fixed October 9 as the deadline for implementation of the assurance and warned of launching a hunger strike from October 10 if the order was not issued.
The association said its decision to continue waiting was based solely on the latest assurance from the authorities and urged the Health Minister to personally intervene to ensure early issuance of the order.
