Srinagar, Sep 2: The corridors of several medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir witnessed another day of protest on Wednesday as MBBS and BDS interns continued their strike for the third consecutive day, demanding an increase in their monthly stipend.
With white coats replacing workstations and protest slogans echoing outside hospital buildings, the interns have suspended their duties since August 31, bringing attention to what they describe as a years-long delay in revising their remuneration.
Every year, hundreds of MBBS and BDS graduates undergo compulsory internship training in government medical colleges. They argue that their stipend remains lower than that offered in several other states and Union Territories.
“This situation has been created because the authorities have failed to take a decision. It has been three years since the government committee recommended enhancement of the intern stipend, but we are still waiting. The file is still under process. We do not know where it is stuck or when it will finally be signed,” said an intern at SKIMS Medical College, Bemina.
The interns currently receive around Rs 12,000 per month. The strike has also begun to affect hospital services, with patients bearing the impact of the interns’ absence from routine duties. Interns have been participating in protests at their respective medical colleges across J&K.
The protesting interns pointed to recent decisions in other states to highlight the disparity. They said the Uttar Pradesh Government has increased the monthly stipend for medical interns to Rs 30,000, while J&K interns continue to receive substantially less.
“This widening disparity underscores a concerning oversight regarding the foundational workforce that sustains critical healthcare infrastructure,” the interns said.
In 2023, a J&K Government committee recommended increasing the stipend for MBBS and BDS interns from Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000 per month.
In October 2024, interns met the Chief Minister in Srinagar and were assured that there would be no disparity between J&K interns and their counterparts elsewhere in the country.
The stipend was last revised in January 2019 during Governor’s Rule, when it was increased from Rs 4,800 to Rs 12,300 per month. Since then, they said, the amount has remained unchanged for more than seven years despite inflation and rising living expenses.
On July 15 last year, Health Minister Sakina Itoo had stated that the stipend would be increased “very soon” and that the file was under process.
The matter was again taken up by the All-India Medical Students Association (AIMSA), which submitted a representation to the Chief Minister on September 9, 2025, seeking intervention.
The interns also demanded that the revision of their stipend should not be unnecessarily linked to any increase in MBBS or BDS fees and called for uniform implementation of the revised stipend across all government medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir.
As the protest entered its third day, the interns maintained that their demand was not merely about an increase in monthly remuneration, but about recognising the role they play in keeping the healthcare system running during their compulsory year of training.
