Medical interns call off hunger strike

Updated on: Saturday, May 14, 2011

Medical interns called off their seven-day hunger strike on Sunday, after they were assured of a hike in their monthly stipend by the government.

Vijay Kumar Gavit, state medical education minister, told the interns that a fresh proposal would be drafted and put up in the next cabinet meeting.

“Apart from the hike, we have been assured that no action will be taken against us under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). We will not be marked absent for the time that we have been on strike, nor will our internships be terminated,” said Sagar Panchal, Mumbai coordinator for the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI).

The interns wanted their monthly stipend hiked from Rs 2,550 to Rs 13,000. Meanwhile, most interns have been discharged from hospital. “Apart from the two interns who were admitted to the ICU for cardiac problems, all the others were discharged after treatment and are now doing fine,” said Panchal.

However, a Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) source said a six-fold hike was not feasible. “We will draft a fresh proposal for the hike and submit it to the cabinet. We are unsure about the percentage of the increase. Depending on the number of interns resuming work on Monday, we will decide whether or not they would be marked absent for the last seven days,” said Dr Pravin Shingare, director of DMER

Medical interns call off hunger strike

More Education news