Wear black bands expressing their support to State-wide protest

Mysore/Mysuru: Resident Doctors (MD/ MS students), working at K.R., Cheluvamba and PKTB Hospitals, attached to Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) and COVID Hospital, today were seen sporting a black band around their arms expressing support to the State-wide protest call given by Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors. There are around 500 PG students (Resident Doctors) in Mysuru. 

MMC&RI RDA (Resident Doctors Association) Vice-President Dr. D.N. Puneeth, speaking to media, said: “We are being paid a monthly stipend of Rs.30,000 in first year, Rs.35,000 in second year and Rs.40,000 in third year. Last year, when the Government increased the fee for the Post-Graduate Medical Courses from Rs.20,000 to Rs.1 lakh, it had assured of increasing the stipend, but till date nothing has been done. Though Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors has been urging the Government to do the needful and we had even conducted a Twitter campaign with 1,00,000 tweets supporting us, there has been no response from Government. Hence, Government College PG students across Karnataka are wearing black band while on duty today to register the protest. We will be doing the same tomorrow also and if there is no response to this, we will intensify our strike.”

He also pointed out that in India, Karnataka is the only State which is giving less stipend and charging more fees. In the National Capital, Resident Doctors are getting stipend anywhere between Rs.90,000 and Rs.1 lakh and fees is around Rs.20,000 or so, he added.

“Every week, around 18 PG students are deployed to work in shifts at COVID Hospital in Mysuru. They are then quarantined for 14 days away from their families. Despite all these risks, the Government is not responding to the woes of Corona Warriors,” he regretted.

MMC&RI RDA President Dr. Ronak Hameed and Vice-President Dr. S. Sinchana were present during media briefing.