Punjab: Dental students adorn black ribbons in the OPD services

Amritsar: Despite the interns and resident doctors of Government Dental College staging protests for the past week over not being given their stipends for the past eleven months, the government seems unmoved.

The delay in the disbursement of stipend and scholarships to interns and post-graduate students-cum-resident doctors is an oft repeated phenomena for the past many years. However, regular policy by the government to ensure regular disbursement has yet to be formulated.

The interns are paid Rs 9,000 stipend and the post-graduate students-cum-resident doctors receive a payment between Rs 42,000 to Rs 47,000.

The Government Medical College interns and students also often face problem in getting their stipend on time. They often have to meet with officials for the release of payments.

A student of the Government Dental College said, "The government should treat scholarship and stipend on a par with the salaries of the regular employees. All that government needs to change is to set its priorities and the problem would automatically be resolved."

However, a senior official of the college said, "The problem arises when treasury receives verbal orders from the state government to stop all payments except salary. If the stipend account is added under the salary head and the government approves it, there is no chance that the stipend bills are not cleared by the treasury."

The students said senior officials needed to intervene in the issue.

Though the interns and students have presently attending OPD services, they are wearing black ribbons to stage their discontent.

"We have decided to wait for another 15 days after which we will take to the roads," a student told the Tribune.

Read Also: No Stipend for 11 months: Students, Interns of Govt Dental College Chandigarh stage protest