Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today (Monday, February 24) announced hikes in the stipends that junior doctors and senior residents in government hospitals receive.

She took part in a doctors’ convention titled ‘Chiskitsar Ar Ek Nam Seba’ (‘Medical Services is Human Service’) at the Nabanna Sabhaghar auditorium, following which she addressed the doctors, wherein she announced the hikes.

The stipend for interns, house staff and postgraduate trainees in state government hospitals has been increased by Rs 10,000. House staff and postgraduate trainees are collectively referred to as junior doctors.

For senior residents, the stipend has been hiked by Rs 15,000, Banerjee announced.

The announcements received big rounds of applause from across the board. As many as 675 doctors, many from the districts, attended the convention. The chief medical officers of health (CMOHs) of different districts had nominated faculties, students, resident doctors and medical officers under their control to attend the convention.

The announcements mean that postgraduate diploma-holding senior residents will now earn Rs 80,000 per month, postgraduate senior residents will earn Rs 85,00 and post-doctorate senior residents will earn Rs 1 lakh.

Along with the stipend hikes, the chief minister also told the doctors that they must provide a minimum of eight hours of service if working in government hospitals.

Medical infrastructure

At present, Bengal has 38 medical colleges (government and private), 42 super-specialty hospitals, 71 special newborn care units (SNCU) and 76 critical care units (CCU).

The number of beds in government hospitals has increased to 40,000 while the number of nurses in government hospitals is over 25,000.