RAIPUR: Doctors who recently expressed trust in the Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai-led administration during comprehensive talks and decided to suspend their proposed agitation seeking a stipend hike have now issued a 15-day ultimatum to the state government.
The Junior Doctors Association (JDA), Raipur, submitted a memorandum comprising a 17-point charter of demands regarding doctors and medical students to the Dean of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College.
"The warning came a day after the state Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal assured that action has already been initiated on the proposal submitted by the Indian Medical Association Medical Students Network (IMA-MSN) Chhattisgarh regarding the revision of stipends," officials said.
The primary demand highlighted in the JDA’s memorandum is a fair and respectable revision of stipends for medical interns, postgraduate (PG) resident doctors, bonded medical officers (MOs), and senior residents (SRs).
According to the JDA, a stipend hike across these categories is long overdue under current economic conditions, and the administration must make a swift decision.
The Association has given the state administration a 15-day window to take concrete action on its demands. The organisation affirmed that if a favourable decision regarding the stipend hike and the remaining demands in the 17-point charter is not reached within the stipulated time-frame, medical professionals across Chhattisgarh will launch a statewide agitation and strike.
The protest would see large-scale participation from interns, PG residents, bonded medical officers, and senior residents.
Speaking on the matter, Dr Piyush Shrivastava, President of JDA Raipur, emphasised that the movement is fought for doctors' dignity, rights, and equitable working conditions, not against any individual or institution.
He noted that while the association favours dialogue and a democratic resolution, it remains fully prepared to agitate if its demands continue to be ignored.
"A respectable stipend and fair rights for medical professionals are not privileges, but their legitimate entitlement," Dr Shrivastava asserted.
