Srinagar, Apr 02: The resident doctors of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu on Tuesday announced a token strike and shut down of both emergency and OPD services for two hours on Wednesday, April 03, over delay in disbursement of stipend, hike in salary and maternity leaves.
A member of Resident Doctors Association, GMC Jammu said the doctors have been facing a tough time due to the delay in the disbursement of their monthly salary. “We are compelled to go on a token strike. Despite repeated attempts to address the matter through dialogue and negotiation, the concerns regarding the timely payment of our salaries remain unaddressed,” he said.
The postgraduate resident doctors of the medical college have demanded that their stipends be revised according to the National Medical Commission rules.
In a statement, the RDA said for the past two months, no stipend has been credited to any residents including the freshly joined first-year PG residents who haven’t received a single payout for six months running after joining GMC Jammu in Sep-Oct 2023.
“The residents of GMC Jammu are underpaid as compared to their contemporaries in other states and UTs. More than 6 states & UTs have already increased stipend of residents and with recent NMC norm of uniform stipend across India but J&K lags behind,” they said.
The doctors said the irregular stipend disbursement demotivates residents and makes it difficult for everyone to work efficiently and wholeheartedly. “The financial well-being of our members is crucial for their continued dedication and efficient delivery of healthcare services at GMC Jammu. We urge the administration to expedite the salary disbursement process to prevent any disruption in patient care,” the RDA said.
The association said the administration is delaying the stipend enhancement process of resident doctors for which multiple meetings were held with the administration. “We hope that this matter can be resolved swiftly and amicably to avoid any inconvenience to both the hospital administration and the patients we serve,” it said.
Principal GMC Jammu, Dr Ashutosh Gupta said they have held a meeting with the RDA and assured them that they would not face delay in the disbursement of their salaries. “They raised three major issues: delay in salary, hike in stipend and maternity leave benefits. We had a long meeting with them and we discussed the matter with the doctors,” he said.
“We assured the resident doctors that we will take steps to meet their demands. We have written to the administrative department and recommended the demands,” Dr Ashutosh added.
