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These questions are being raised by several intern MBBS doctors in Uttar Pradesh. At a time when the entire nation is in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, those who are fighting this pandemic head-on are doctors, nurses, and the entire medical team, who have been rightly termed as “warriors”. They have been showered with a lot of praises but these intern doctors of UP are demanding some basic rights.
MBBS is a 4.5-year-long course including a one-year-long internship. During the internship, they have to perform the duties in different departments of Medical colleges.
There are over 40 private and government medical colleges in UP, where more than 2,500 intern doctors offer their services. Those doing their internships are given a stipend worth just Rs 7500 per month, which is the lowest in the country.
Indian Medical Association-Medical Students’ Network is of the opinion that in some private medical colleges of the state, only Rs 6,000 stipend is given, while in some colleges internship is being done without any stipend. The association has written a letter to CM Yogi Adityanath addressing the situation and demanding for an increase in stipend.
The Quint gets in touch with intern doctors from different medical colleges in UP. All of them say that in the past 10 years these stipends have been intact, there has been no increase. The work is increasing, but the honorarium being given to them has remained the same.
Neeraj Kumar Mishra, the State President of the United President and Doctors Association, says that the organisation has also written a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stating that during the pandemic, intern doctors are working hard but in the name of stipend, they get paid less than even a daily wage worker.
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