J&K Govt issues order enhancing monthly stipend of medical interns from Rs 12,300 to Rs 25,000

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday increased the monthly stipend of MBBS and BDS interns, including foreign medical graduates (FMGs) from Rs 12,300 to Rs 25,000.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had asked the health and medical education department on Tuesday to increase the stipend of these medical interns immediately.

According to an order issued by the Health and Medical Education Department on Wednesday, the enhanced stipend will be effective retrospectively from October 1, 2026.

The order states that sanction has been accorded to the enhancement of the monthly stipend payable to MBBS and BDS interns, including Foreign Medical Graduates, across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. With the revision, medical and dental interns will receive Rs 25,000 per month instead of the earlier Rs 12,300.

After assurance from the health and medical education minister, Sakina Itoo that the government had agreed in principle to enhance the monthly stipend of medical interns, the agitating medical interns had gone on a hunger strike on Monday saying that despite government assurance, no formal order had been issued.

After Omar Abdulllah asked the health and medical education department to issue the enhancement order immediately, the striking interns had called off their hunger strike yesterday evening.

The agitating interns said despite the cost of living having increased many times, their monthly stipend had remained stagnant since 2019.

These medical interns are an important part of J&K’s healthcare delivery system. They render their services in emergencies, OPDs, operation theatres and also attend to in-hospital patients across the Union Territory. Senior doctors serving the government had supported the stipend enhancement demand of the medical interns.

A medical intern is a doctor who has completed medical school and is undergoing a mandatory period of supervised practical training, usually lasting one year before receiving full registration to practice medicine independently.

Medical interns hold a medical degree (such as an MBBS or MD). However, because they do not yet have a full, independent licence to practice, they must work under the supervision of fully registered senior doctors (residents and consultants).

This period often called a "rotating internship"—is a compulsory prerequisite in most healthcare systems worldwide to ensure clinical competency.

It serves as the transitional bridge between being a medical student learning theory and being an independent clinician responsible for patient care.

Interns rotate through various core clinical specialties, typically including Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Emergency/Community Medicine.

They perform essential day-to-day hospital tasks, such as conducting initial patient evaluations, taking medical histories, monitoring vital signs, and writing daily progress notes.

Under guidance, they perform basic medical procedures (like drawing blood, inserting IV lines, or dressing wounds) and draft laboratory or imaging requests.

Interns routinely manage overnight and weekend shifts, providing continuous front-line coverage for hospital wards and emergency rooms.

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