Medical interns from 10 government medical colleges and two dental colleges across Jammu and Kashmir began a 48-hour hunger strike on September 7, escalating their protest over the long-pending demand to increase their monthly stipend from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000.
The agitation follows an indefinite strike that began on August 31 and failed talks with the administration. The interns say repeated verbal assurances are no longer enough and are demanding a formal government order before calling off the protest.
Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo has acknowledged that their demand is genuine and said the proposal is with the Finance Department, while Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said the issue should be resolved quickly. The interns, however, say they have waited for years and want a written commitment rather than another assurance.
A Demand Years In Making
For the protesting interns, the issue goes beyond a stipend hike. They currently receive ₹12,300 a month, which they say has remained unchanged for nearly seven years despite their clinical workload. During their compulsory internship, MBBS and BDS interns work across wards, outpatient departments and emergency services, often including night duties and postings outside major cities.
They argue that their responsibilities warrant fairer compensation and have called for “equal work, equal pay”. Their current demand of ₹30,000 is also based on comparisons with internship stipends in other states, where they say amounts are substantially higher. The interns maintain that the financial gap has become difficult to justify when they are performing comparable clinical duties.
From Recommendation To Protest
The dispute predates the present agitation. In June 2023, the J&K Health and Medical Education Department constituted a committee to examine enhancement of internship stipends. The committee subsequently recommended increasing the monthly stipend from ₹12,300 to ₹26,350 for MBBS and BDS interns.
However, the recommendation did not translate into a final government order. The J&K Assembly record has also raised questions about the proposal’s progress, including its financial concurrence and observations from the Finance Department. Reports indicate that the proposal was resubmitted in October 2025.
The interns began an indefinite strike on August 31 this year after years of representations failed to produce a concrete decision. Following discussions with the government, they said they were told that the process could take about a month, but rejected the timeline.
Health Minister Sakina Itoo said the file was with the Finance Department and urged the interns to end their strike, while the interns maintained that only a written order would restore their confidence.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Medical interns are at a particularly vulnerable point in their professional journey: they are still undergoing training, yet they are also an important part of the healthcare system and routinely work in demanding clinical environments.
Their demand for fair compensation deserves to be heard with empathy, while the government’s concerns around administrative and financial approval also need to be addressed transparently. Prolonged disruption to healthcare services can ultimately affect patients, so a peaceful and time-bound dialogue between the interns and authorities is essential.
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