Hyderabad: Following erratic disbursal of stipends, junior doctors from Osmania and Gandhi medical colleges met health minister Damodar Rajanarasimha on Friday to resolve the delays that have continued despite govt orders.
The minister assured immediate action to streamline the payment process and promised to look into the possibility of making stipends tax-free.
The doctors also made a formal request for an increase in stipends, along with a request to resolve delayed salary payments to contractual assistant and associate professors.
“The irregular disbursement of stipends has been a persistent problem affecting hundreds of junior doctors across the state,” said Dr K Rahul, president of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA). “We need a more systematic approach to ensure timely payments,” he added.
Dr Vamshi Krishna More of the Gandhi Medical College pointed out that the issue had previously led to a strike in June. “The situation was particularly bad for interns, who faced delays of up to six months. Although the govt has now allocated the budget, the payment dates continue to fluctuate between the 9th and 20th of every month, when ideally it should be processed between the 10th and 15th,” he added.
The current system involves a complex process of submitting attendance records from colleges to the District Medical Health Officer (DMHO), which doctors say needs to be streamlined. “The technical aspects of the payment process need to be fine-tuned to avoid delays,” Dr More added.
The junior doctors also raised concerns about the timeline for the stipend hike. According to govt regulations issued in 2014, revisions should take place every two years. “The last hike was implemented in Jan 2023 and according to the set timeline, we’re due for another revision,” the doctors noted.