AHMEDABAD: Resident doctors across the state have escalated their protest, staging another strike today over stipend issues just days after the Gujarat government announced a 20 per cent stipend hike for intern and resident doctors with retrospective effect from April 1, 2024.
The strike, which follows outrage over the rape-murder case of a junior doctor in Kolkata, has seen resident doctors withdraw from all services, including emergency care.
The Junior Doctors Association (JDA) at BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad is demanding a 40 per cent increase, citing higher stipends in other states like Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. No other junior doctors' associations from the 18 medical colleges across the state have joined the ongoing strike.
The state government, in a statement on Sunday, dismissed the demands as unjustified, asserting that Gujarat is a leader in stipend payments to doctors, offering higher stipends compared to other states. The government also highlighted that Gujarat requires only a one-year bond for resident doctors, unlike the three-year bonds in other states, and noted that resident doctors receive higher stipends than contract professors teaching them.
BJ Medical College Junior Doctor Association President Dhaval Gameti in a statement said, “For the past six months, we have made repeated legal representations to the Health Minister and Health Department officials, demanding a 40 per cent stipend hike every three years as per the government circular. The last hike was on April 1, 2021, and the three-year period ended on March 31, 2024.”
He further added, “Our demand was for a 40 per cent increase effective April 1, 2024. However, the hike has been slashed by 50 per cent, prompting us to go on strike.”
Dhawal Gameti further alleged, “States like Delhi, UP, and Bihar offer higher stipends compared to Gujarat, which has only six government medical colleges and hasn't opened a new one since 1995. Striking is our last resort, as the government has reneged on its promises.”
All services at Surat's Civil and SMIMER hospitals are operating normally, with resident doctors not joining the strike. The decision on whether to participate in the strike will be made after resident doctors in Vadodara hold a meeting to discuss their stance.
In response to the resident doctors, the state government issued a statement on Sunday night, saying, “The stipend for state interns and resident doctors was increased by 20 per cent on Saturday. However, the Junior Doctors Association is now threatening a strike demanding a 40 per cent increase, which is completely unjustified.”
The statement continued, “This decision is inhumane and compromises patient care. Using patients as hostages in this manner is completely unacceptable.”
It further added, “The reality is that Gujarat leads among states in the country in paying the highest stipends to resident doctors compared to other states.”
States with Government Medical Colleges and Stipends:
• Delhi: 8 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹1,20,000
• Rajasthan: 25 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹70,350
• Uttar Pradesh (UP): 33 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹86,000 - ₹96,000
• Tamil Nadu: 39 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹50,000
• Karnataka: 24 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹68,000
• Maharashtra: 32 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹95,000
• Bihar: 13 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹99,000
• Andhra Pradesh: 18 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹56,000
• Telangana: 12 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹65,000
• West Bengal: 26 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹52,000
• Punjab: 6 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹68,000
• Haryana: 6 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹95,000
• Madhya Pradesh: 15 Medical Colleges, Stipend ₹77,000
This list highlights the number of government medical colleges and the corresponding stipend offered to resident doctors in various states.