Telangana's resident doctors claim gov't hasn't paid stipends for 7 months; threaten strike

Resident doctors in Telangana have threatened to go on strike from tomorrow, June 29, if their pending stipends are not cleared by the Ministry of Health, Medical and Family Welfare, Telangana. The doctors have submitted representations to the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) of the state and have declared that if the pending stipends are not cleared, they will begin boycotting elective services from tomorrow. They have further said that if the DME does not respond to their demands, they will expand their strike to emergency services as well. 

Resident doctors of the Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital claim that they have not received their stipends since November 2021, which is when they joined their service. According to a document shared by a representative of the Senior Resident Doctors' Association, the Mahabubnagar Government Medical Hospital and the Institute of Mental Health are among the two other institutions in the state where stipends have not been released since November 2021. 

In all other government medical colleges, including those under the Osmania Medical College and the Gandhi Hospital, resident doctors have not been paid stipends for the last three months, since March this year. In addition to this, the senior residents claim that they have not been paid stipends for the month of May 2021, when they worked at the peak of the second wave of COVID-19. 

"The problem is budget allotment from the government," claims Dr M Rajeev, a senior resident at Osmania General Hospital. "The institutions have done their bit. The Superintendents also understand the concerns of us doctors, but the problem lies with the government. They have to release the funds," he adds.

When EdexLive reached out to the office of the DME, an official responded that the stipends are under process and will be cleared soon. When asked about the reason for the delay, the official said, "We do not have an update on the reason. The stipends are under process and will be released soon, although we do not have a date yet."