Bhopal, March 9 (NationPress) The medical services at government hospitals throughout Madhya Pradesh faced significant disruption on Monday as junior doctors and other healthcare personnel organized a demonstration demanding the overdue revision of stipends. This protest, initiated by the Junior Doctors Association (JUDA), resulted in the halting of outpatient department (OPD) services in numerous hospitals, leading many patients and their families to leave without the necessary consultations or medications for treatment.

The strike also impacted various specialized services, including the Prevention of Parent-To-Child Transmission (PPTCT) counselling and testing centre, fertility clinic, ANC room, and other facilities within the gynaecology department at Gandhi Medical College.

OPD services were notably affected not only at Gandhi Medical College but also in medical facilities across districts like Indore, Jabalpur, Rewa, and Gwalior.

However, as observed in previous protests, emergency services for critically ill patients and those already admitted to government hospitals continued to function largely uninterrupted.

According to sources, a delegation from the Junior Doctors Association is anticipated to meet Rajendra Shukla, who is responsible for overseeing the state’s health and medical education sectors, during his visit to Jabalpur to discuss this pressing issue.

JUDA has stated that the CPI-based stipend revision was supposed to be effective from April 1, 2025, as per a government directive, but this has yet to be executed despite multiple requests.

Approximately 8,000 resident doctors, senior residents, and interns are participating in the strike. Medical professionals emphasize that these doctors are vital to the functioning of medical colleges, managing nearly 70% of the workload while providing treatment and monitoring for a vast number of patients.

Dr. Brijendra, a resident doctor at Gandhi Medical College, highlighted that the stipend revision was mandated by a state government order issued on June 7, 2021.

“Several communications have been sent to the deans of all medical colleges within the state and to the Heads of Departments. However, emergency services will remain operational as usual to ensure that critical patients do not encounter any difficulties,” Dr. Brijendra informed IANS.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress has urged the state government to address the concerns raised by the striking doctors and has appealed for the strike to be called off.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari expressed to reporters in Indore that the revised stipend for thousands of junior doctors in the state was expected to be implemented from July 2025, but it has not yet been released.

“The Madhya Pradesh government frequently borrows thousands of crores but fails to deliver the rightful stipend to our essential healthcare workers. The question remains: where is all this borrowed money being allocated?” he inquired.