Junior doctors in Telangana raise concerns over delayed stipends and financial instability

HYDERABAD: The issue of delayed stipends to the junior doctors in the government hospitals and medical colleges has cropped up again with doctors expressing concerns over the delay in the crediting of the stipend for over six months in a row now.
The Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) on Friday met with Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, pressing to address a range of issues of the junior doctors and resident doctors such as the delay in stipends, stipend hikes, scholarship reimbursements, tax exemption for stipends, regular pay for the contractual staff.
It may be recalled that in June 2024, T-JUDA called for a statewide strike over the irregular payment of stipend and salaries to the contractual assistant professors in government medical colleges.
Following the strike, the state government had issued a budget release order (BRO), releasing Rs 123,32,85,000 for the year 2024-25 to the health department for regularisation of stipends to the junior doctors.
However, according to T-JUDA, there has been a consistent delay in crediting the stipent to the bank accounts of junior doctors for more than six months.
Speaking to TNIE, Dr More Vamshi Kishna, JUDA vice-president, said that although the stipend was released every month, the amount was credited some time between 10th and 20th of every month, creating financial instability for the resident doctors.
Dr More said, “The government had earlier promised that the stipends would be streamlined, but we want the delay to be addressed so that the stipends are credited before 10th of every month and end the uncertainty as we are still not sure on which date we would receive the dues.”
“The government should also address the issue of delay in the payment to the contractual assistant and associate professors. While the regular employees receive their salaries by 10th of every month, there is a delay in the salaries of contract staff and senior residents at times,” he added.
Moreover, according to GO 59, which was issued in 2023, there has to be a 15% hike in the stipends of the house surgeons, PG doctors and honoraria to senior residents.
Dr More said that as per the GO, the stipend would be increased every two years and the last hike was in 2023, and accordingly, the hike is due in 2025.
He said that the health minister assured the doctors that the issues would be addressed immediately.