Chandigarh: Dental students go on strike for hike in monthly stipend

Students of bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) and master of dental surgery (MDS) courses of Dr Harvansh Singh Judge (HSJ) Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Panjab University (PU), organised a protest at Gate Number 1 of PU on Wednesday seeking an increase in their stipend.

Through the day, they remained on strike, which they announced will continue on Thursday, and claimed that the OPD of the hospital also remained closed.

The protesters said they received a stipend between ₹9,000- ₹10,000 per month, which had remained unchanged since 2009. They said it was much lower than other institutes of the region, as MBBS interns at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, get a stipend of ₹26,500.

However, the faculty claimed that all patients were attended to and a surgery was also performed on Wednesday, and appointments for Thursday were also given out. Officials claimed that the PU course was a self-financed course and cannot be compared to the UT-funded MBBS course at GMCH.

Chairperson Dr Hemant Batra said the PU senate and board of finance had recently approved a proportionate increase to the stipend as compared to the annual hike on the course fees and by next month, the students will start getting it.

He further maintained that the services of the hospital will remain unaffected by this strike on Thursday.