Bengaluru: Responding to the demands of protesting resident doctors, the Karnataka State Government has recently announced a 25 percent stipend increase for residents pursuing postgraduate studies in government teaching hospitals across the state.
According to an order issued by R Manjunath, the undersecretary to the Government Medical Education Department, the new stipend rates will be effective from August 1, 2024. This hike will apply to all 3,540 postgraduate residents, 445 super-specialty residents, and 327 senior residents currently enrolled in medical colleges under the State Medical Education Department.
As a result of this order, the stipend for first-year PG residents will rise from Rs 45,000 to Rs 56,250 per month, while third-year residents will see an increase from Rs 55,000 to Rs 68,750 per month.
The Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) has called off its protest following an assurance from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding a 25% hike in stipends. According to a report by Deccan Herald, the new stipend rates will see first, second, and third-year Super-speciality residents earning Rs 68,750, Rs 75,000, and Rs 81,250 per month, respectively. Senior residents serving their mandatory government service will now receive Rs 75,000 per month.
The decision to increase stipends comes after persistent demands from resident doctors in Karnataka, who had initiated a protest over the lack of stipend revision since 2020. Under KARD's leadership, they highlighted the disparity between their stipends and those of their counterparts in other states, pointing out that while their fees were among the highest in the country, their stipends were only about 50% of what other states offered. Before the hike, the stipends for first, second, and third-year PG residents were Rs 45,000, Rs 50,000, and Rs 55,000 per month, respectively, while Super-speciality residents received between Rs 55,000 and Rs 65,000 per month.
The resident doctors had earlier issued a press release expressing their frustration over the government's neglect of their requests for a stipend increase. They warned that if their demands were not met by August 12, 2024, they would begin an indefinite protest, suspending all non-emergency services in government medical colleges and hospitals. This move was aimed at drawing attention to the financial strain they were under due to the low stipends.
Following the meeting with the Chief Minister, who cited financial constraints as the reason a further increase was not feasible, KARD agreed to the 25% stipend revision. Although the protest has been called off, the association is awaiting an official government order confirming the hike, which is set to take effect from August 1, 2024. This resolution marks a significant step in addressing the financial concerns of resident doctors in Karnataka.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Ankur Deka/MSM)