The New Indian Express ·
Bhopal intern doctors’ protest enters Day 2; Rs 30,000 stipend demand remains unresolved
BHOPAL: Accusing the state government of being unresponsive to their long-pending demand for a hike in their monthly stipend, intern doctors at Hamidia Hospital continued their protest in capital Bhopal for the second consecutive day on Tuesday.
The interns are demanding that their monthly stipend be increased from Rs 14,337 to Rs 30,000. They are also protesting Monday afternoon’s police action against their demonstration.
Attempts by the administration and police to persuade the intern doctors to call off the protest proved futile, as the white-aproned medicos remained seated on the road near Kamla Park in central Bhopal, affecting traffic on the busy arterial road.
The intern doctors boycotted OPD duties at the hospital and continued their protest on the road. Junior doctors at the state government-run hospital also extended their support, particularly in protest against the manner in which police handled the demonstration outside the Gandhi Medical College-Hamidia Hospital on Monday afternoon.
Support for the interns also came from other medical colleges across Madhya Pradesh. At the MGM Medical College in Indore, the state’s largest government medical college, interns and junior doctors staged a protest on the campus in solidarity with their Bhopal counterparts.
“The protest may be happening on the road here, but those present here include our colleagues from various medical colleges of MP, as our long pending demand of increasing the monthly stipend from Rs 14,337 to Rs 30,000 concerns all of them.
We don’t want to give trouble to the people of Bhopal or the state, but the non-serious response of the state government to our demand and the way water cannon was used against our peaceful protest followed by cane-charging by cops, we’re not going back from here till we get written assurances from the government and action is taken against the erring cops,” said intern doctor Dr Shahbaz Khan.
While Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is in Dubai to attend the ongoing Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) Congress, Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla said, “One round of discussion has been held with representatives of doctors and the dialogue has been positive. Their demand is on two points, including hiking of the monthly stipend and investigating and acting against the Monday police action against them. If need arises, we will hold another round of talks in the evening, maybe we will go them and talk.”
Meanwhile, Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar ordered a probe into Monday afternoon’s use of water cannon against the intern doctors outside the hospital campus. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP-Zone II) Vikash Shahwal has been tasked with conducting the inquiry. Action will be initiated based on its findings, officials said.
On Monday afternoon, the intern doctors were preparing to march peacefully from the hospital premises to the chief minister’s residence, demanding a written assurance that their monthly stipend would be increased from Rs 14,337 to Rs 30,000. They said the current stipend is among the lowest in the country.
Police closed the hospital gate as the interns attempted to leave. When the doctors tried to make their way out, water cannon was used to disperse them, reportedly causing ear and eye injuries to some of the interns.
The interns further alleged that when some of them managed to get out through the closed gate, police resorted to a baton charge, resulting in fractures to the hands of one doctor.
Angered by the police action, interns marched towards the chief minister’s residence on Monday afternoon but were stopped by police near Kamla Park, a short distance from the CM’s residence.
The interns have remained seated on the main road at the same spot since then.
The doctors have accused the government of delaying action on their primary demand, increasing the monthly stipend to Rs 30,000, in line with neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh.
“In MP, the intern doctors get one of the lowest monthly stipends anywhere in India. A month and half back, the state government had assured to hike it to Rs 30,000 via a proposal in the next state cabinet meeting, since then many cabinet meetings have been held, but our demand remains unfulfilled,” an intern doctor said.