Interning doctors protest paltry stipend
Interns at West Bengal’s first privately-run medical faculty — 132 of them — are protesting over the quantity they obtain as month-to-month stipend, saying the sum was a pittance in comparison with what their counterparts in different establishments earned.
“This month we received ₹7,016. How do you expect us to survive on this amount, that too when we have to spend for personal protective equipment and transport from our own pocket?” requested an intern at Kolkata’s KPC Medical College — additionally serving as a distinguished COVID-19 hospital — who didn’t wish to be named however who was part of the sit-in they staged on Monday.
“All we want is our stipend to be on par with the colleges under WBUHS (West Bengal University of Health Sciences). A fair adjustment to our current structure will be beneficial not just for us but also for batches to come,” the intern mentioned, including that the stipend had not modified for the final three years. The matter had precipitated now as a result of their bills had shot up because of the pandemic.
“Travelling in crowded buses and trains is very risky, especially when we have elderly parents and relatives back home. At the same time, due to the lockdown, the cab companies have hiked their rentals by almost three times,” the intern mentioned.
He mentioned the protest, which has the assist of the West Bengal Doctors’ Forum, would proceed with out affecting their duties, which included attending to sufferers on the KPC Medical College and Hospital and in addition at Infectious Disease Hospital in Beliaghata (one other COVID-19 centre) and at amenities in rural areas corresponding to Sonarpur.
While the medical faculty authorities couldn’t be reached for feedback, it’s learnt they might be speaking to the protesting doctors on Wednesday afternoon. “We want the authorities to talk to all 132 interns, and not just a delegation of four or five of us. In case they are talking to a delegation, then the talks should be streamed live — that’s our only condition,” the 2016-2022 MBBS batch intern mentioned.