Outlook Business Desk
Intern doctors from the 2020 batch at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College (BJGMC) and Sassoon General Hospital in Pune launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday over unpaid stipends for the past three months, warning that essential health services could be disrupted.
BJGMC interns say they began duty on April 5 but haven’t received their stipend since, leading to financial hardship. They allege administrative negligence and are calling for urgent redressal.
The striking interns have made three key demands: immediate release of all pending stipends since April 5, creation of a transparent system for timely payments going forward and a written assurance that no disciplinary action will be taken against participants.
“It’s been over three months since we started working here, but we haven’t received a single rupee. We’re expected to give our best in patient care, but how can we survive without money?” an intern shared anonymously.
Interns allege they were forced to open accounts only in Bank of Baroda, and faced delays due to the prolonged absence of staff responsible for stipend processing and document submission to the treasury.
The interns allege that hospital authorities falsely cited missing attendance as a reason for the delay in stipend payments. They further criticised the Dean (the head of the medical college) for being unresponsive and insensitive to their concerns, stating that no written assurance was provided despite repeated appeals for clarity and resolution.
Commenting on the claims, Dr Eknath Pawar, dean of BJGMC and SGH, said, “There is no strike by the interns. They only approached us to demand their stipends. The claim that they haven’t been paid for three months is incorrect. This is a new batch that joined in April. Now that everything is processed online, we no longer issue cash or cheques. We asked them to open bank accounts and submit the required documents, which they completed only by the end of May.”
Dr Pawar stated the situation escalated after a clerk allegedly misbehaved with the interns, arguing and speaking to them rudely, which further fuelled the protest.