Healthcare Services Hit As Resident Doctors Protest for Stipend Hike; Indefinite Strike in Karnataka

With the support of the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) hundreds of doctors from Monday suspended non-emergency and outpatient services and protested for the hike in their stipends. Resident doctors, interns, postgraduates, super specialty doctors from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute with other government hospitals protested at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.

Dr. Sirish Shivaramaiah, President of KARD and a PG in Radiology, said, “Our stipend is much lower than in other states while fees are higher as well. Stipends should be revised and must be adjusted with inflation too.”With 700 members of the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) , over 4,000 postgraduate medical students, 2,500 government medical interns, and 70 resident doctors in Karnataka began an indefinite protest on Monday morning. A senior official of the Victoria Hospital stated that while emergency services remained unaffected, the OPD department was under significant strain.