Kutch: Resident and intern doctors of the Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Sciences (GAIMS) at Bhuj’s G.K. General Hospital have gone on strike, staging a dharna outside the Dean’s office. Their demand is for the implementation of a stipend hike as per Gujarat government rules, effective from April 2024.

The strike involves approximately 300 doctors, who claim the management has delayed the stipend hike, which was to take effect from April 1, 2024. Instead, the GAIMS management announced it would implement the hike from October 1, 2024, and pay arrears in December. However, no payments have been made to date, leaving the doctors frustrated.

President of the Junior Doctors Association, Dr. Popat, stated, “We are only demanding the stipend hike announced by the state government. We work on duty 24/7, yet we are not receiving our dues. The government raised the stipend rate in April, and based on that, unpaid arrears amount to about ₹1 lakh per resident doctor and ₹20,000 per intern. This six-month arrears total approximately ₹2-2.5 crores, which the management is not clearing. Despite repeated peaceful representations over the last two months, the issue remains unresolved, prompting us to halt all operations and call the strike.”

He added, “The management claims they will pay the dues when other private colleges do, but many colleges have already complied. As per government orders, stipends in all colleges must be uniform, yet this college and a few others are not abiding by the rules. We informed the management three days prior to the strike to ensure that patient care is not disrupted.”

Doctors have assured that patient services will resume immediately if their demands are met. According to intern Dr. Khushali, “None of us want patients to suffer. We are committed to resuming duties once a positive resolution is achieved.”

GAIMS management has assured the National Medical Council that they will pay stipends in line with government rules, including any future revisions. However, the delay in payments remains unresolved, leaving the strike ongoing. DeshGujarat