Suhail Dar
For the past five months, nearly forty junior resident doctors posted at Government Medical College Anantnag have been without salary triggering protests from the doctors inside the hospital premises.
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Holding placards and raising slogans, the doctors said despite reaching to every possible official including the hospital authorities at Anantnag, their issues have remain unaddressed. The doctors have demanded an early redressal of their issues, following which the officials have taken up the issue with senior officials.
The Postgraduate DNB students alleged that they have received only one stipend which was back in March.
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Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, Nitin, a doctor posted at GMC Anantnag said that they have met the principal of the college, Commissioner, Health Secretary several times. “For the past several months, all that we have got from the officials is false promises. Every time, we raised the issue, we have been promised that we will be paid in a week, a few days, but it has been five long months now, we are forced to protest,” said Nitin.
For the past five months, the doctors have been delaying the protest for patient care, but the officials have paid no heed to our repeated pleas, which forced us to come out in protest, he claimed.
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“We do not have money to pay for rent or our food now. We have come from very far and it is unfortunate that despite having spent so much for the studies, we still have to seek money from our parents to fulfill our basic necessities,” said Sangram, a doctor, originally a resident of Maharashtra.
Officials upon being contacted said that the issue has been taken to the higher ups. “These students got admitted in November and the hospital budget is prepared till October. Due to this their salary is pending from four months. Their salaries will be released in two months time,” the official said.