Medical interns warn of indefinite hunger strike in IIOJK from Oct 10
Srinagar: Medical interns in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have threatened to resume their agitation and begin an indefinite hunger strike from October 10 if the authorities fail to fulfil its commitment to enhance their stipend.
MBBS and BDS interns are seeking a hike in their monthly stipend from Rs 12,300 to Rs 30,000, saying the stipend has remained unchanged for nearly seven years despite rising workloads and living expenses.
“We remain hopeful that by October 9, the authorities will honour their written assurance and fulfil its commitment to the long-pending stipend hike,” Mohammad Akib Javid, one of the intern representatives, said in a post on X. He said interns had been pursuing the demand through peaceful and democratic means for several months and warned that if the administration fails to honour its written assurance by October 9, medical interns across occupied Jammu and Kashmir would launch an indefinite hunger strike from October 10.
“We do not want confrontation. We want a written order, implementation and justice for medical interns who are working day and night in our hospitals and serving patients,” he added.
The interns had staged protests last month and observed a 48-hour hunger strike. The strike was suspended following a meeting chaired by Health Minister Sakina Itoo attended by a delegation of medical interns and senior health department officials, where it was noted that the issue should be brought to a logical conclusion without avoidable delay.
