Bengaluru: Stipend Hike for Resident Doctors in Karnataka

Fulfilling the demands of the protesting resident doctors in Karnataka, the State Government recently notified a 25 percent stipend hike for the residents pursuing their postgraduation in government teaching hospitals across the State.

As per the order issued by the undersecretary to the Government Medical Education Department, R Manjunath, this order would be effective from August 1, 2024, and it would be applicable to all the 3,540 postgraduate, 445 super-speciality, and 327 senior residents currently pursuing their medical education in the medical colleges under the State Medical Education Department.

Due to this order, the stipend of 1st year PG residents has increased from Rs 45,000 per month to Rs 56,250 per month. The third-year resident doctors will now get Rs 68,750 per month instead of Rs 55,000 per month.

Also Read: Over 4,000 Karnataka Doctors On Strike Demanding Stipend Hike

The first, second, and third-year Superspeciality residents will now get Rs 68,750, Rs 75,000, and Rs 81,250 per month respectively. Meanwhile, the Senior residents serving their mandatory government service will be paid Rs 75,000 per month, Deccan Herald has reported.

As per the latest media report by Deccan Herald, after getting the assurance from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding a 25% stipend hike on Wednesday, the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) unofficially called off its protest.

It was earlier reported that pointing out that their stipend was not revised after 2020, the doctors in Karnataka had initiated their protest. The resident doctors under the aegis of the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) alleged that currently, they receive 50% of what their counterparts in other States get as a stipend, even though the charges of medical education in the institutes across the State were significantly higher than in other States.

Before the stipend hike, the 1st/2nd/3rd year PG residents were receiving Rs 45,000, Rs 50,000, and Rs 55,000 per month as a stipend. Superspeciality residents were receiving a stipend amount ranging between Rs 55,000 to Rs 65,000 per month.

Recently, issuing a Press Release, KARD mentioned, "For over a year, GOK has ignored Resident Doctors' urgent requests for a stipend increase. We receive one among the lowest stipends in the country—half of what our counterparts in other states get—while our fees are among the highest."

In the release, the association had warned that if their demands for a stipend hike were not met by August 12, 2024, they would begin an indefinite protest, suspending all non-emergency services at government medical colleges and hospitals.

Deccan Herald recently reported that the delegation of KARD met the Chief Minister at his residence just before he left for Koppal and Vijayapura and they were informed that their monthly stipends would be increased by 25 percent.

The Chief Minister reportedly informed that a further increase in the stipend amount would not be possible due to financial constraints. Agreeing to the revision, the doctors called off the strike. However, the association was waiting for an official government order in this regard.

Consequently, the State Government on Thursday notified regarding the 25 percent stipend hike for the resident doctors, which will be effective from August 1, 2024.

Also Read: Karnataka: Resident doctors end strike after Health Minister's assurance