Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. SRINAGAR: The Jammu & Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Monday has written to Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, urging him to immediately intervene in the long-pending demand of MBBS and BDS interns for a substantial enhancement of their monthly internship stipend. The Association warned that continued administrative delay could further escalate the situation and adversely affect healthcare services across the Union Territory.
In its letter to the Chief Minister, the Association said that MBBS interns at Government Medical Colleges and other major healthcare institutions have been holding peaceful protests over the issue. The interns are currently receiving a monthly stipend of only ₹12,300 and are demanding its enhancement to ₹30,000 per month. They have announced suspension of services from 31 August 2026 and warned of an indefinite strike if their long-standing demand is not addressed.
National Convenor of the Association Nasir Khuehami said the demand of the interns is genuine, reasonable and fully justified. He said medical interns are an essential part of the healthcare delivery system and, during their compulsory internship, work in wards, OPDs, emergency departments, ICUs, operation theatres and other clinical services. They assist senior doctors, attend to patients, participate in emergency duties, perform night shifts and shoulder responsibilities that directly contribute to patient care and the functioning of hospitals.
Khuehami said their working hours are often extremely demanding, with shifts in several instances extending to 24–36 hours. Despite the workload, long hours and clinical responsibilities, young doctors continue to serve patients and public healthcare institutions with dedication, often working beyond regular hours in the interest of patient care.
He added that the situation is particularly significant in Jammu & Kashmir, where public healthcare institutions cater to a substantial patient load and interns frequently provide critical support across wards, OPDs, emergency departments and ICUs. Their contribution, he said, should not be viewed merely as part of academic training, as they provide meaningful and essential support to the healthcare system.
The Association pointed out that ₹12,300 per month is grossly inadequate in view of the rising cost of living, demanding working conditions, professional responsibilities and the contribution interns make to patient care. Fair remuneration, JKSA said, is not a favour but a matter of dignity, fairness and recognition for young doctors who are contributing substantially to public healthcare.
What is even more concerning, the Association said, is that the issue has remained pending for years despite government-level consideration. A Government-constituted committee was formed in June 2023 to examine the issue of stipend enhancement for medical interns and make appropriate recommendations. The committee subsequently reportedly recommended increasing the stipend to ₹26,350 per month, with the recommendation being reported in January 2025. Despite the recommendation and repeated representations by interns over the years, the revised stipend has reportedly still not been implemented.
Dr. Wasim Khan, President, JKMSA (Medical Wing of the Jammu & Kashmir Students Association), said the interns are justified in questioning why a matter that has already gone through a committee process continues to remain unresolved. He said their message that “7 years of neglect must end today” reflects the frustration that has accumulated through years of representations and delayed action.
The Association also acknowledged the interns’ demand for implementation of the pending Finance Committee recommendations and for a stipend at par with prevailing rates in other parts of the country. JKSA said that since interns elsewhere perform comparable clinical duties and work similar, and in some circumstances greater, hours, their demand for ₹30,000 per month deserves serious and sympathetic consideration in view of current circumstances, inflation, the rising cost of living and prevailing national stipend levels.
Dr. Khan also expressed concern over the possibility of an indefinite strike. While interns have every right to peacefully raise their grievances, he said prolonged suspension of services could place additional pressure on already overburdened hospitals and ultimately affect patients and healthcare delivery. The Association therefore called for immediate and meaningful dialogue between the Government and representatives of the protesting interns.
Association urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to personally intervene, direct the concerned authorities to engage with the protesting interns without further delay, expedite implementation of the pending committee and Finance Committee recommendations, and sympathetically consider the present demand for ₹30,000 per month.
