Junior doctors and interns stage protest across Karnataka calling for rollback of fee hike

With the state government failing to reduce the academic fee for medical students, junior doctors and interns staged a protest across Karnataka on October 7. They boycotted the Out Patient Department (OPD) and other medical services. This protest was organised by the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) demanding the government for timely and regular payment of stipend, COVID-19 risk allowances and reduction in the academic fee. 

Despite resident doctors (MD/MS/DM/MCHS) working during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government failed to reduce the academic fees and suddenly raised the fees from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1,00,000. Many junior doctors urged the government to restructure the academic fees based on what it was in 2018-19.

Many junior resident doctors and interns say that they are overloaded with the work of treating non-COVID patients for three months but they haven't received stipends from the government.They demanded that the government to act soon on the demands and solve the grievances of the junior resident doctors as well as the interns.