BHOPAL: Intern doctors at Bhopal’s Hamidia Hospital, who had been protesting in the capital since Monday afternoon, ended their stir on Wednesday after the state government decided to hike their monthly stipend by 50 per cent.
The decision to increase the monthly stipend from the existing Rs 14,337 to Rs 21,500 was taken following talks between Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla and representatives of the intern doctors, the Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) and the Medical Teachers Association (MTA) at Gandhi Medical College (GMC) in Bhopal.
Two police personnel (constables) found to have been involved in the use of force and water cannon against the intern doctors on Monday were attached to the lines following a probe into the incident by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bhopal Zone II, Vikas Shahwal.
Further action will be initiated against the policemen based on the findings of the inquiry.
The Deputy CM said students who were peacefully raising their concerns should not have faced such incidents. He assured that steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur on the medical college campus. No action would be taken against students who raised their concerns peacefully, he said.
Arrangements would also be made to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured students.
The Deputy CM further said Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had decided to increase the existing stipend by 50 per cent. He said discussions on the demand had already been underway and that the Chief Minister had been in continuous dialogue with the students.
Speaking on the medical college campus, Shukla said the constructive discussions had resulted in a positive outcome. Representatives of the intern doctors expressed their appreciation for the decision.
Importantly, the intern doctors had been demanding for the past one-and-a-half months that their monthly stipend be increased from Rs 14,337 to Rs 30,000. They claimed that the stipend paid to interns in Madhya Pradesh was among the lowest in the country.
On Monday afternoon, city police personnel used water cannons inside the GMC-Bhopal-Hamidia Hospital campus to stop the intern doctors from taking out a protest march to the Chief Minister’s residence. The students alleged that the police also resorted to a lathi-charge.
The intern doctors alleged that some of their colleagues sustained ear and eye injuries during the use of water cannons, while another student suffered a hand fracture in the police lathi-charge.
Since Monday afternoon, the intern doctors had been protesting on the main road near Kamla Park in Bhopal, severely affecting traffic in the heart of the city.
While the intern doctors were protesting on the streets of Bhopal and staying away from OPD duties at Hamidia Hospital, junior doctors also joined their cause, along with medical teachers, not only in Bhopal but also at other state government medical colleges across Madhya Pradesh.
