Interning doctors protest paltry stipend
The Hindu
‘How can we survive on ₹7,016, when we have to pay for on PPE, transport?’
Interns at West Bengal’s first privately-run medical college — 132 of them — are protesting over the amount they receive as monthly stipend, saying the sum was a pittance compared to what their counterparts in other institutions earned. “This month we received ₹7,016. How do you expect us to survive on this amount, that too when we have to spend for personal protective equipment and transport from our own pocket?” asked an intern at Kolkata’s KPC Medical College — also serving as a prominent COVID-19 hospital — who did not want to be named but who was a part of the sit-in they staged on Monday. “All we want is our stipend to be on par with the colleges under WBUHS (West Bengal University of Health Sciences). A fair adjustment to our current structure will be beneficial not just for us but also for batches to come,” the intern said, adding that the stipend had not changed for the last three years. The matter had precipitated now because their expenses had shot up due to the pandemic.More Related News