APJUDA demands hike in stipend amounts

Tirupati: AP Junior Doctors' Association (APJUDA) has been demanding hike in the stipend of all postgraduates, house surgeons, senior residents and super-speciality residents learning modern medicine in government medical colleges in the State.

In a letter to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, APJUDA has recalled that the stipend has to be revised once in every two years as per GO Ms No 287 of 2009 and the revision is overdue this year. They mentioned that they have been receiving the lowest amount of stipend compared to other States. For instance, a house surgeon in AP has been getting Rs 19,589 per month while in Tamil Nadu it is Rs 25,000, Rs 22,527 in Telangana, Rs 28,000 in Odisha, Rs 30,000 in Karnataka and Rs 35,000 in Maharashtra.

Similarly, a first year PG student has been receiving Rs 44,075 as stipend in AP compared to Rs 50,686 in Telangana, Rs 64,000 in Maharashtra and Rs 66,302 in Odisha. They said that the variation can be seen in the second and third year PG students' stipend amount.