Medical interns resume strike in J&K government hospitals over stipend hike

Hundreds of medical interns at government-run hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir went on strike on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) over the government’s alleged failure to implement a promised stipend hike, despite a written assurance a month ago. They also alleged that officials had attempted to “intimidate the protesters”.

The interns resumed their strike a day after talks between their representatives and the government failed to resolve their demand to raise the monthly stipend from ₹12,300 to ₹30,000. The meeting was held with the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Health Minister Sakina Masood Itoo and the Director-General of Finance.

“We have seen ‘approvals’ and ‘assurances’ before. This time, J&K MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) and BDS interns will not call off the strike on verbal claims or media reports. We will end our agitation only after the official government order is issued and implemented immediately,” Mohammad Tasadduk Kawser, joint secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir chapter of the All India Medical Students Association, said in a post on X. 

“Instead of a concrete resolution, we were met with humiliating remarks. The OSD reportedly told us that the government was doing us a favour by providing free medical education. Since when has public expenditure become anyone’s personal charity? The money belongs to the taxpayers of J&K, not to Ministers or bureaucrats,” said Mr. Kawser.

In September, Ms. Itoo had asked the protesting interns to call off their strike and assured them that their demands would be looked into within a month.  

“Thirty days of written assurance, another week of waiting, repeated meetings—and still no implementation order. Calling doctors beneficiaries of government generosity while dismissing their legitimate concerns is an insult to the entire medical profession. If the government cannot fulfil its commitments, it must take responsibility for the consequences of its continued inaction. We will not trade our dignity for another hollow assurance,” said Mr. Kawser.

Meanwhile, MBBS and BDS interns staged protests at all government-run medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir.