January 5, 2025

Barmer Medical College Doctors Launch Pen-Down Strike Over 3-Month Stipend Delay

The nonpayment of their stipends has sparked a severe protest among the postgraduate (PG) resident physicians at Barmer Medical College. The doctors have now demanded a pen-down strike until their outstanding payments are fulfilled after going three months without receiving their stipends. All elective, OPD (Outpatient Department), and emergency duties will be boycotted as part of the walkout.

The doctors who enrolled in the college in October 2023 for DNB (Diplomate of National Board) courses had significant delays in getting their first stipend, which arrived in May 2024, according to Dr. Shyama Singh, President of the Barmer Association of Resident Doctors. Even though they were paid a stipend in October 2024, it was just for the preceding three months, and they haven’t gotten any more since. It is quite difficult for the doctors to sustain their families since they are unable to meet their financial needs, even though they normally receive a stipend of Rs 58,000 per month.

The Principal Controller of GMC Barmer has received an official letter from the Barmer Association expressing their displeasure with the current state of affairs. The letter emphasizes the doctors’ financial and emotional stress as well as the notable delays in stipend delivery. Financial difficulty has resulted from the stipend payments being irregular, even though many PG residents have been completing their residency for more than a year and a half.

In his remarks, Dr. Bharat Prateek, the State President of the United physicians’ Front (UDF) Rajasthan, noted that for the last 18 months, the physicians have not been paid on time. For the doctors, many of whom have families to support, the delays have resulted in severe financial hardship. The physicians have been forced to strike despite their struggles, but they have avoided causing patients any inconvenience.

UDF National President Dr. Lakshya Mittal highlighted the difficulties that the border area of Barmer faces, which is already beset by a dearth of medical facilities. Given the importance of resident physicians to the healthcare system, the problem is being made worse by the delayed stipends. Ignoring their problems is detrimental to the state’s healthcare system as well as the physicians.

The region’s healthcare services are now being impacted by the Barmer physicians’ protest. The UDF has urged the Department of Medical Education and the Rajasthani government to take quick action to resolve the matter, calling for the payment of the outstanding stipends as well as steps to prevent future delays of this kind. The circumstances in Barmer are making people wonder if the area is being overlooked because of its closeness to the Indo-Pak border.

 

 

 

 

SOURCE :

MEDICAL DIALOGUES

 

 

 

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