MANGALURU: In a major relief to house surgeons and postgraduate doctors at Wenlock Hospital and Chigateri Hospital, the State government has directed the principals of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), and JJM Medical College, to pay the pending stipend of the medicos which have not been paid to them for 11 months now.
In a letter written last week, Dr. Rajeshwari Devi, Medical Superintendent of Wenlock District Hospital, had requested the officials in the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department to release funds to pay interns stipends for up to 11 months.
“Now the government has agreed to pay the amount and that needs to be done on priority. Protesting students have to ensure they get their stipend amount,” Dr Rajeshwari told TNIE.
In all, 54 Medical interns serving in Wenlock District Hospital and Lady Goschen Hospital in Mangaluru we’re protesting from past one week near the OPD block of Wenlock Hospital. 97 Interns and 133 PG doctors serving in Chigateri District Hospital and Women and Child Hospital in Davangere too were also protesting over the same issue.
The interns and post-graduate students who protested were from Kasturba Medical College in Mangaluru and JJM Medical College in Davangere. Though they are studying in private colleges, they are attached to government hospitals.
As per the agreement reached between the authorities of these colleges and the government, these house-surgeons and MBBS interns, who have studied MBBS under the government quota; have been offering services at the two hospitals, Lady Goschen Hospital and other designated primary health centres in Dakshina Kannada district and as per the Medical Council of India the medical college needs to have its own hospital and it has to pay for students serving in the hospital.
The basic monthly remuneration of a house surgeon is Rs 20,000, while the PG students should get Rs 30,000, Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 for the first, second and third year of their service respectively.
The protestors alleged that their stipend has not been disbursed despite a written order from Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on December 24 last year.
After due deliberation and assured action; the surgeons called off their protest around 1 pm on Monday and said they will resort to the protest again if the orders are not followed.