Hyderabad: The Telangana government has decided to raise the stipends for junior doctors by 15% to prevent an indefinite strike that was set to begin on Monday. This decision, announced on Sunday, led to the cancellation of the planned strike. Now, under the updated pay structure, interns will earn Rs 29,792 monthly. For PG doctors, stipends will vary from Rs 67,032 to Rs 74,782 throughout their training.
On Sunday, Health Minister C Damodar Raja Narsimha ordered senior officials to increase stipends for junior doctors and senior residents’ honorariums. The government then issued Government Order (GO 90), raising stipends for MBBS/BDS interns, post-graduate doctors, PG dental students, and Super Speciality students. The honorarium for senior residents was also increased, effective from 1 January 2025.
With the hike, medical and dental interns will receive Rs 29,792 monthly, up from Rs 25,906. First-year PG doctors will get Rs 67,032, second-year will receive Rs 70,757, and final-year will be paid Rs 74,782. For Super Speciality students, stipends will rise to Rs 1,06,461 in the first year, Rs 1,11,785 in the second, and Rs 1,17,103 in the third. The GO also raises the honorarium for senior residents from Rs 92,575 to Rs 1,06,461.
Minister Raja Narsimha instructed that these revised stipends be paid by the 10th of each month. A Budget Release Order (BRO) has been issued to ensure payments throughout the year, and all pending stipend arrears have been cleared. With the weekend being a bank holiday, officials are ready to deposit the stipends into junior doctors’ accounts on Monday. Additionally, the Finance Department issued a GO to extend the contracts of senior residents, assistant professors, and other staff for another year, ensuring they receive regular salaries.
The Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association (TJUDA) had threatened to strike from 30 June if their concerns weren’t addressed. Their demands included timely stipend payments, implementing the stipend hike GO, and improving infrastructure in government medical colleges. TJUDA, representing junior doctors from 34 Government Medical Colleges across the state, had consistently brought these issues to the attention of the health minister and secretary.
