No Stipend for former Gian Sagar medical college medicos: HC summons medical college, BHUFS
Chandigarh: Taking cognizance of the grievance submitted by former PG medicos of Gian Sagar Medical College over the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College authorities' stance in declining to pay their deserved stipend, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued summon notice to the medical college and the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) asking its stand on the matter.
The medicos moved the court seeking directions to the medical college and the varsity to pay back their outstanding dues which was refused by the authorities stating that they have been transferred from a shut-medical college.
Medical Dialogues had been reporting about the stipend issue of the PG medical students who were shifted from the Gian Sagar Medical College after the institute was shut down in February 2017 over financial breakdown. Following this, the government at that time announced the shifting of around 1,500 UG and PG medical students of the Medical College to other medical institutions operating across the state to complete the remaining years of their courses.
Read Also :Violations of MCI norms: Former PG Medicos of Gian Sagar Medical College approach Tribunal
Among these shifted students, PG medical students of Anesthesia and Surgery were shifted to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH), Faridkot.
After the transfer, the stipends of Rs 45,990 per month for the academic year 2016-2017 for PG medical students and the stipend granted to MBBS students was also stopped. This led to a great hue and cry.
On October 15, 2018, the MBBS students wrote a letter to the Director, Medical Research and Education, Punjab for directing to pay an appropriate stipend to the students of MBBS course. However, no action was taken.
The aggrieved medicos then resorted to legal action. On January 2019, the PG medicos who were not paid any stipend between June 2017 and April 2018 by the medical college citing ineligibility approached the court.
They claimed that despite paying Rs 6.5 lakh per annum fee and performing over 12 hours of duty daily, GGSMCH declined to pay them the stipend as they were shifted from another college. Meanwhile, other medicos of the college were getting Rs 48,720 monthly stipend. It was when these shifted PG medicos pitched over the issue, GGSMCH paid them Rs 24,360 (half) stipend from May 2018 to end of their courses in May 2019.
The claim of the petitioners is that since they were doing PG course at the institute, they were entitled to receive stipends as per the MCI regulations. As per the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, issued by the MCI regarding stipends payable to PG students, “The students undergoing PG course shall be paid stipend on par with the PG students of the state government medical institutions.”
Read Also: Stipends woes continue for shifted Gian Sagar Medical College MBBS and PG medicos
The matter was further deliberated in September this year, when the High Court had asked the Guru Gobind Singh medical college to take a decision on releasing stipend to the medicos within a period of four weeks that time, but the medical college rejected the claim of the students, terming them ineligible for the stipend while maintaining that they have been transferred from a defunct medical college, as per Tribune report.
According to TOI, in an October hearing as well, the stipend release was declined by the medical college. Hence the students yet again knocked the doors of the court maintaining their submissions.
The counsel appearing for the student before the bench argued that the medical college had failed to pay heed to the fact that the petitioners, during the period of their postgraduate course, used to work for 12 hours a day. There were no fixed hours and they were exposed to perpetual danger of contracting life-threatening diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. Consequently, the petitioners were deprived of the same without assigning any reason, reports TOI.
Considering the plea, the HC has issued notices to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and BFUHS and sought their reply by December 9.
The medicos moved the court seeking directions to the medical college and the varsity to pay back their outstanding dues which was refused by the authorities stating that they have been transferred from a shut-medical college.
Medical Dialogues had been reporting about the stipend issue of the PG medical students who were shifted from the Gian Sagar Medical College after the institute was shut down in February 2017 over financial breakdown. Following this, the government at that time announced the shifting of around 1,500 UG and PG medical students of the Medical College to other medical institutions operating across the state to complete the remaining years of their courses.
Read Also :Violations of MCI norms: Former PG Medicos of Gian Sagar Medical College approach Tribunal
Among these shifted students, PG medical students of Anesthesia and Surgery were shifted to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH), Faridkot.
After the transfer, the stipends of Rs 45,990 per month for the academic year 2016-2017 for PG medical students and the stipend granted to MBBS students was also stopped. This led to a great hue and cry.
On October 15, 2018, the MBBS students wrote a letter to the Director, Medical Research and Education, Punjab for directing to pay an appropriate stipend to the students of MBBS course. However, no action was taken.
The aggrieved medicos then resorted to legal action. On January 2019, the PG medicos who were not paid any stipend between June 2017 and April 2018 by the medical college citing ineligibility approached the court.
They claimed that despite paying Rs 6.5 lakh per annum fee and performing over 12 hours of duty daily, GGSMCH declined to pay them the stipend as they were shifted from another college. Meanwhile, other medicos of the college were getting Rs 48,720 monthly stipend. It was when these shifted PG medicos pitched over the issue, GGSMCH paid them Rs 24,360 (half) stipend from May 2018 to end of their courses in May 2019.
The claim of the petitioners is that since they were doing PG course at the institute, they were entitled to receive stipends as per the MCI regulations. As per the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, issued by the MCI regarding stipends payable to PG students, “The students undergoing PG course shall be paid stipend on par with the PG students of the state government medical institutions.”
Read Also: Stipends woes continue for shifted Gian Sagar Medical College MBBS and PG medicos
The matter was further deliberated in September this year, when the High Court had asked the Guru Gobind Singh medical college to take a decision on releasing stipend to the medicos within a period of four weeks that time, but the medical college rejected the claim of the students, terming them ineligible for the stipend while maintaining that they have been transferred from a defunct medical college, as per Tribune report.
According to TOI, in an October hearing as well, the stipend release was declined by the medical college. Hence the students yet again knocked the doors of the court maintaining their submissions.
The counsel appearing for the student before the bench argued that the medical college had failed to pay heed to the fact that the petitioners, during the period of their postgraduate course, used to work for 12 hours a day. There were no fixed hours and they were exposed to perpetual danger of contracting life-threatening diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. Consequently, the petitioners were deprived of the same without assigning any reason, reports TOI.
Considering the plea, the HC has issued notices to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and BFUHS and sought their reply by December 9.
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