Over 600 resident doctors at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) worked wearing black badges on Monday as a mark of protest against the delay in the implementation of the seventh pay commission for resident doctors at the premiere state-run hospital in Ranchi.

They also demanded stipend at par with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for the 150 odd interns in RIMS.

At present, resident doctors in RIMS get a monthly salary of around Rs.57,000 as per the sixth pay commission. The implementation of the seventh pay commission will increase their monthly salary by Rs.12000, a doctor said.

“Our protest will continue until the concerned authorities agree to fulfil our demands,” said Dr. Ajit Kumar, president, Junior Doctor’s Association of RIMS.

He added that Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi and Chief Secretary Sudhir Tripathi had on June 3, 2018 assured that the seventh pay commission will be implemented within a fortnight. However, no initiatives were taken after the assurance.

“The chief secretary and health minister had promised in writing that the seventh pay commission will be implemented within 15 days, but their promises never materialised,” said Kumar.

This issue was also raised at the 45th annual governing body meeting of RIMS on July 12, 2018, the doctors said.

Later in the day, the doctors handed over a memorandum to RIMS director Dr. DK Singh stating their demands. Besides higher pay, the doctors have demanded construction of better roads in the RIMS campus and safer hostels for woman doctors.  

RIMS is the largest state-run hospital in Jharkhand, and caters to the medical needs of rural and urban residents from across Jharkhand. On an average, the hospital treats at least 1500 patients every day.

Monday’s protest, however, did not cause any hassle for the patients as the doctors did not shy away from working during the protest.