Service in government hospitals were affected as hundreds of postgraduate medical students and house-surgeons across the State launched an indefinite strike on Monday demanding a hike in their stipend.
The non-service postgraduate students and students on compulsory rotatory residential internship are striking under the banner Interns and Postgraduate Association of Tamil Nadu.
In Chennai, Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli, students boycotted work in the government hospitals.
The students had many grouses — chief among them being low stipends and lack of compensation by way of post-duty offs.
The students have been seeking a rise for nearly six months and have often gone on flash strikes, but without success so far.
“It takes a doctor at least ten years to launch into a medical career. We cannot depend on our parents that long to meet our expenses. Many doctors are also married by the time they finish post-graduation and a stipend of Rs. 17,000 is not enough to manage a family,” said J. Praveen, secretary of the association.
“In other States, the PGs are considered junior residents unlike here where we remain students till we complete education,” he said.
The protesters say, at Rs. 8,200 for interns, they are the lowest paid professionals in the country. They have placed a demand for Rs. 20,000 as monthly stipend for interns and Rs. 45,000 a month for postgraduates and those pursuing super speciality courses with an annual hike of 12 per cent.
Representatives of the association also met with the officials of the Directorate of Medical Education and the Health Department.
“We have several demands, including free accommodation for PG students. We have been told that there will be a discussion on the demands for health budget on August 11 in the Assembly,” Dr. Praveen said.
Health Department officials said the Chief Minister was aware of the demand to increase the stipend and said a decision in accordance with their representations would be announced by her.
The elections and the budget session in the Assembly had caused the delay in taking up the students’ issues, officials said. While officials think the students had withdrawn their strike, the students are yet to announce that they were withdrawing the protest.
