No stipend hike & disbursement delay, junior doctors in Telangana threaten stir
Hyderabad: The issue of the untimely disbursement of stipends to junior and resident doctors has cropped up again, with doctors expressing concerns about the delayed implementation of their biennial stipend hike, which was due to take effect in Jan of this year.
The last stipend increase occurred in May 2023, when the previous BRS govt issued GO 59, directing a 15% increase in stipends for all house surgeons, PG doctors, and senior residents, effective from Jan 1, 2023.
Junior doctors are now demanding another revision and the issuance of a new GO.
Noting that the junior doctors are not asking the govt for any additional hike but only the mandated biennial 15% promised to implement, doctors say if the delay goes beyond May, they will resort to a strike after issuing a notice in the first week of June.
Forced into debt trap
Dr Ayesha Parveen of Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal said the delay had forced several students to borrow money to cover their expenses.
'Many students at medical colleges across the state are non-locals, and most of them manage their living, academic and other expenses independently, without putting a burden on their families. Moreover, sometimes one book costs as much as Rs 30,000.
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Those who have taken out loans find themselves trapped in a vicious circle of repaying them with their monthly stipend, leaving them with only 30–40% of their wages,' said Dr Ayesha, adding that this further affects mental health.
'Due to the heavy workload in govt hospitals, working hours often exceed the prescribed limits, and we also have to manage our academic studies simultaneously.'
Noting that the inflation rate is moving up, Dr D Ajay Kumar of Gandhi Medical College (GMC) said that the families of many doctors are financially dependent on them.
'Many doctors have elderly parents and children who depend on them financially. One of my colleagues' fathers in Hyderabad had a heart attack last month and had to borrow money for medical expenses. Moreover, there is the monthly fixed cost of paying school fees, not to mention other miscellaneous expenses.
We need to be paid the same as doctors from NIMS and ESIC,' said Dr Kumar, who is also the general secretary of T-JUDA.
Doctors noted that, despite submitting multiple representations to the health department authorities, particularly the director of medical education (DME), since Nov last year, no intervention has yet been forthcoming. 'Even in 2023, the hike was granted only after a long protest. This is why we informed the DME a few months in advance, to ensure the 15% increase would be implemented in time. But still, four months have passed and there has been no response,' said a doctor from Osmania Medical College (OMC).
Dr A Narendra Kumar, director of medical education (DME), told TOI, 'The stipend hike of the concerned doctors is due and is under the condiseration of the govt.'
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