The postgraduate resident doctors at Government Medical College Srinagar are suffering due to non-payment of their monthly stipends.
The Diplomate of National Board is a postgraduate Master’s degree same as the MD/MS degree awarded to Specialist Doctors in India after the completion of a three-year residency.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) the PG resident doctors said they haven’t received their stipends since July this year due to which they have been suffering.
“We have been pursuing PG courses since last year and have been facing such issues since the last three months,” they said, adding, “We are around 400 PG residents of second and third year without monthly stipends. We have families who are dependent on us and without stipends, we are even unable to make our ends meet.”
They said despite taking up this issue with higher officials of GMC Srinagar but no positive response has come from any side.
“Every official is assuring us verbally that the stipends will be released soon but as of now nothing has been done,” they said.
“We are now fed up with the assurances and if the government fails to issue our stipends then there is no option other than to go for strike that will definitely affect patient care delivery services,” they said.
They further added that only PG residents are without stipends while other staff have been getting salaries on time.
They have requested the higher-ups to look into the matter at the earliest “so that our families don’t suffer anymore”.
An official of the GMC said they have taken up the issue with higher-ups and the stipends of resident doctors will be released in the next few days—(KNO)