Unhappy with the State government over delaying paying their stipend, house surgeons discharging services at the Government Wenlock and Government Lady Goschen Hospitals in the city have threatened to take drastic action if the government failed to meet their demand at the earliest.
As many as 54 house surgeons, who have studied MBBS in Kasturba Medical College (KMC) under the government quota, are serving at the two hospitals. The KMC pays fees every year to the hospitals for use of clinical services. These surgeons are those who got MBBS seats in the college through CET conducted by the KEA.
“We have not been paid a single rupee of stipend for the last 10 months. We are not paid what is due to us,” said house surgeon Chirantan Suhird, president, KMC Interns’ Council. Representations had been given to officials and also to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, Medical Education Minister Ashwath Narayan and Health and Family Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu. “All assured of addressing the issue, but no action has been taken. Our plight is not been taken seriously,” he added.
A house surgeon is eligible for monthly stipend of ₹20,000 for their one year long house surgeonship.
Forced to fight
House surgeon Shrilakshmi said for the last couple of years, house surgeons are being forced to fight for the stipend. The Directorate of Medical Education paid the stipend till 2018 and asked the Department of Health and Family Welfare, under which the two government hospitals function, to pay stipend from 2019-20. The Department of Health and Family Welfare, in turn, wrote to the District Surgeon of Wenlock Hospital to pay stipend from the hospital’s Arogya Raksha Samiti (ARS) account. The district surgeon informed the government that there was not enough money in the ARS account for payment of stipend, she said.
House surgeon Kuldeep R. said that he and other 53 others are all meritorious surgeons and come from middle class families. “We have been diligently rendering quality care in casualty, labour, ICU and other units of the two hospitals through out the year. If our problem is not addressed forthwith, then we will take drastic action and the government will be responsible for the all the consequences,” he said.
