Mansoor Peer
Srinagar, May 18: Government Medical College Anantnag has summoned two MBBS students after they raised the issue of enhancement of stipends for MBBS and BDS interns, a demand that has remained pending despite recommendations for a substantial hike.
Both MBBS Phase-III Part-II students were summoned by the college over what it described as recent incidents involving violation of college norms. A meeting regarding the matter was also conducted at the medical college on Monday.
One of the MBBS students has been questioned over uploading a recent video in which he had raised the issue of enhancement of stipends and the government’s silence on the matter.
After the notice, Democratic Medical Association (DMA), led by National President Dr. Amit Vyas and National General Secretary Dr. Shubh Pratap Solanki condemned the notice issued against the MBBS student for raising concerns regarding the long-pending intern stipend issue.
“It is unfortunate that instead of addressing the genuine grievances of medical interns, action is being initiated against a student who spoke about the reality faced by interns for years,” the DMA said in a statement
It said that repeated assurances that the stipend file is “under process” and merely moving from one department to another without any concrete outcome “reflects serious administrative inaction.”
Dr Mohammad Mumin Khan of FAIMA Doctors Association in a post on X said, “Their only “fault” was raising the genuine issue of low intern stipend in J&K. What exactly did they violate by speaking for their rights,” He has requested DC Anantnag, Dr Bilal Bhat to intervene the matter.
Meanwhile, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti also raised the issue of the students being summoned in a post on X.