Medical interns across Jammu and Kashmir called off their eight-day strike after receiving a formal government assurance that their demand for a monthly stipend enhancement would be resolved within thirty days. The decision to suspend the agitation was finalized following a high-level meeting between intern representatives and Health Minister Sakina Itoo, alongside senior health administration officials in Srinagar.
The standoff had intensified earlier in the day as medical colleges across the Union Territory began issuing show-cause notices and disciplinary warnings to absent interns. Protesting MBBS and BDS students, who had escalated their campaign with a 48-hour hunger strike beginning Monday, maintained that their existing monthly stipend of Rs 12,500 had remained stagnant for years despite heavy workloads and extended operational shifts.
Government Meeting and 30-Day Resolution Timeline
The breakthrough came after a delegation of striking medical interns met Health Minister Sakina Itoo on Tuesday to press their case for a comprehensive salary structure revision. According to the official record note of the meeting, government authorities committed to finalizing the matter within a period of thirty days based on recommendations from the Stipend Enhancement Committee.
The record note emphasized that the timeline was established to bring the matter to a logical conclusion expeditiously while safeguarding the academic and professional responsibilities of the trainees and ensuring uninterrupted patient care across regional healthcare facilities. Minister Itoo observed during the discussions that the concerns raised by the interns deserved due consideration and noted that the administration remained sensitive to their professional welfare.
Disciplinary Notices and Show-Cause Warnings Issued
The government assurance followed a wave of punitive administrative actions taken by medical college administrations earlier in the week. Multiple institutions, including SKIMS Medical College Bemina, Government Medical College Anantnag, GMC Rajouri, and GMC Handwara, issued formal show-cause notices to Compulsory Rotating Medical Interns who had abstained from their assigned duties.
The college administrations characterized the strike as gross indiscipline and professional misconduct under National Medical Commission regulations. Notices issued to student representatives directed them to explain within twenty-four hours why disciplinary measures—potentially including curtailment, temporary suspension, or cancellation of their internships—should not be initiated against them.
Intern Stance and Temporary Suspension of Protests
Tanish Mansotra, an intern at Government Medical College Jammu, confirmed that student bodies agreed to suspend their agitation for one month following the written government assurance. He clarified that the suspension is temporary and contingent upon the administration implementing the promised stipend revision within the stipulated thirty-day window.
Protesting representatives defended their actions against the college administrations, arguing that raising collective grievances through democratic representation should not be equated with professional misconduct. They stressed that their core demand to increase monthly remuneration from Rs 12,500 toward Rs 30,000 remains active and would be reassessed if the government fails to deliver a formal order.
Implementation Steps and Pending Procedural Milestones
Under the terms agreed upon in the official record note, the Stipend Enhancement Committee—originally constituted under Government Order Number 538-JK(HME) of 2023—will review the wage structure and submit final recommendations. The medical interns have resumed their regular duties across all regional teaching hospitals and district medical facilities while awaiting the formal policy decision.
