Medical students demand hike in monthly stipend

Tribune News Service
Amritsar, February 3

The Medical Students Association staged a protest at Government Medical College here on Monday. They were demanding an increase in the monthly stipend being paid to them during the internship period.

They said the MBBS students had to do one-year internship after the completion of four and a half years of the academic session.

“At present, they are being paid Rs 9,000 per month. The students’ body claimed that the stipend was last revised in 2002 when the annual fee of MBBS (first year) was Rs 13,000. Now, the first year fee is around Rs 80,000 and the stipend is still the same,” said association president Vaibhav Chawla.

The association said the Punjab Government was charging the highest fee from medical students, but was paying the lowest stipend as compared to other medical institutions in North India. Chawla said MBBS interns in neighbouring Haryana were getting a monthly stipend of Rs 17,000 while they pay Rs 52,070 as fees for the first year. In Himachal too, the monthly stipend was Rs 15,000 and the first year fees was Rs 60,000, he said.

The association said in Jammu and Kashmir, the first year fee was just Rs 26,250 and the stipend was Rs 12,000. In Central Government institutes is around Rs 8,000 and they were getting a stipend of Rs 23,500.

Association vice-president Ratulbir Goyal said, “In 2019, the students had called off the protest after the Medical Education Minister had assured that the stipend would be increased within two months. But nothing has been done so far and here again we are on protest path.”

The students said after four and a half years of studying they were getting Rs 300 per day which was even less than the wages of an unskilled daily wager. They said taking in view the fact that the government was charging the highest fee from medical students, it should at least double the monthly stipend.