Mumbai: MBBS interns in Maharashtra continue to receive significantly lower stipends than their counterparts in other states, earning less than half of what interns in West Bengal and Odisha receive. While interns in Maharashtra currently get Rs 18,000 per month, their counterparts in West Bengal receive Rs 44,000 and those in Odisha get Rs 40,000.
Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif Assures Proposal For ₹25,000 Stipend
The Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) has taken up the issue with the state government, following which Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif has assured the delegation that a proposal to increase the monthly stipend to Rs 25,000 will be placed before the state Cabinet for consideration.
Intern doctors, however, are demanding a monthly stipend of Rs 30,000, citing the workload and responsibilities they shoulder while providing patient care in government medical colleges and hospitals. Uttar Pradesh currently pays Rs 25,000 per month to its MBBS interns.
BMC Medical College Interns Raise Stipend Demand With Civic Officials
Meanwhile, the issue has also been raised by interns working in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) medical colleges. A delegation of intern representatives, along with members of Medivision Mumbai and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), recently met the senior BMC officials including deans of municipal medical colleges to press for an increase in their stipend to Rs 30,000.
The meeting was attended by Dr Vijay Giri, convenor of Medivision Mumbai; Advocate Amit Patle, Mumbai organising secretary of ABVP; secretary Abhishek Pawar; and representatives of interns from various BMC medical and dental colleges.
Delegation Cites Municipal Corporation Act To Support Stipend Hike
During the meeting, the representatives cited legal and financial provisions under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, relating to the welfare of intern doctors, and presented their arguments for increasing the stipend.
The BMC administration responded positively and assured the delegation that a concrete decision would be taken immediately after Diwali, following consultations with its legal and financial advisory committees.
Representatives of Medivision and ABVP said they would continue to follow up with the civic administration until an official order announcing the hike is issued.
At the state level, the ASMI delegation's meeting with Mushrif was attended by senior officials of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), including the Principal Secretary, Director and Commissioner, along with other officials. The proposed increase to Rs 25,000, if approved by the Cabinet, would provide some relief to interns, although it would still remain considerably lower than the stipends offered in West Bengal and Odisha.
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