Why higher stipend for SKIMS medicos?
9/29/2016
Nitesh Sangral
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 29: Time and again the demand for restoring
parity in the monthly honorarium for junior doctors working in Government
Medical Colleges (GMCs) and Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences
(SKIMS) Soura without results.
This disparity, said the medicos is not only taking
toll of work but also the mindset of aspiring post graduates who prefer to work
at SKIMS. It also becomes a deciding factor when students apply for MD/MS.
It may be recalled that medical students at GMC Jammu
and GMC Srinagar have agitated the issue repeatedly. However, the disparity
continues with the authorities in no mood to address the issue.
According to Medical Council of India's (MCI) clause
13.3 that the Post Graduate students of the institutions which are located in
various States / Union Territories shall be paid remuneration at par with the
remuneration being paid to the Post Graduate students of State Government
medical institutions / Central Government Medical Institutions, in the
State/Union Territory in which the institution is located.
"Similar procedure shall be followed in the matter
of grant of leave to Post Graduate students, the order states but we don't know
why the successive governments have not looked into this matter despite
repeated memorandums and protests, said a medico on promised anonymity.
Some junior medicos told Early Times that the nature of
training, financial involvement, duration of training and services rendered to
the patients are same but there is huge disparity in stipend paid to doctors working
in GMC in Jammu-Srinagar and SKIMS Srinagar. It is not only junior doctors who
are suffering this disparity but the PGs too are facing the heat as PGs doctors
at SKIMS are getting Rs 47000 per month but PGs in GMC are getting only Rs
20000 only.
"Now many of us are around 30 years old. Some are
married and have families. Yet, we at times feel forced to be dependent on our
parents for our daily expenses. The stipend being paid to us is not at all
sufficient to meet our family expenditure, academic and research expenses. The
government must consider our hard work and long working hours and hike our
stipend," another student said.
Adding to this, another medico said, "PG's are the
main workhouses in Medical Colleges and work for 100-120 hours a week. "The
average of stipend being received by PG's across the country is around Rs.50,
000- 60,000 but in the GMC&H Jammu, they are getting meager Rs.22, 000 per
month since past 7 years and that too in the time of such an inflation.
"A delegation of doctors recently had approached
to the Principal with all required documents and Principal agreed and said the
matter would be taken with higher officials, "they also said and adding
that the same delegation also went to the Civil Secretariat and submitted their
representation to the Minister and officials of the department concerned
persons including concerned ministers but all in vain.
Aggrieved medicos further stated that the matter had
also been taken up with Finance Minister and the Minister had assured to look into
the matter but in reality the files have been moving one room to another within
the same department for last few years.
"The PGs and junior doctors are running from
pillar to post to remove disparity in one State but due to the lackadaisical
approach of higher ups of H&ME department demoralizing the PGs students of
GMCs and forced to them leave GMCs, "they stated.
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