Daijiworld Media Network - Bhopal
Bhopal, Mar 9: Medical services in government hospitals across Madhya Pradesh were severely disrupted on Monday as junior doctors and other medical staff staged a protest demanding the pending revision of their stipends.
The state-wide strike, organised by the Junior Doctors Association (JUDA), led to the suspension of outpatient department (OPD) services in multiple hospitals, forcing many patients and their attendants to leave without consultations or essential medicines. Specialized services, including PPTCT counselling and testing centres, fertility clinics, ANC rooms, and gynecology departments—particularly at Gandhi Medical College—were also affected.
OPD services were reported to be disrupted not only in Bhopal but across major districts such as Indore, Jabalpur, Rewa, and Gwalior. However, emergency care for critically ill patients and those already admitted remained operational, consistent with past strikes.
Sources said a JUDA delegation is scheduled to meet Rajendra Shukla during his visit to Jabalpur to discuss the pending stipend revision. According to JUDA, the CPI-linked stipend increase was mandated to take effect from April 1, 2025, under a government order but has yet to be implemented despite repeated appeals.
Nearly 8,000 resident doctors, senior residents, and interns are participating in the strike. Medical experts highlighted that these doctors handle around 70 percent of the workload in medical colleges, providing critical care and monitoring for a large number of patients.
Dr. Brijendra, a resident doctor, said the stipend revision was ordered by the state government on June 7, 2021, and repeated communications have been sent to deans and heads of departments across the state. “Emergency services will continue as usual to ensure critical patients are not inconvenienced,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Congress party called on the state government to address the doctors’ concerns and urged them to end the strike. State Congress president Jitu Patwari criticised the government for delaying the release of revised stipends, pointing out that the expected implementation from July 2025 has not materialized. “The Madhya Pradesh government frequently borrows thousands of crores but is unable to pay the rightful stipend to our life-saving doctors. The question is, where is all this borrowed money going?” he asked.