Srinagar, Feb 20: The All India Medical Students’ Association (AIMSA) on Friday urged the authorities to enhance the stipends of interns and resident doctors in Jammu and Kashmir, terming it a long-pending and genuine demand affecting young healthcare professionals. In a letter addressed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the Association highlighted the delay in implementing the proposed stipend enhancement in the Union Territory. Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, Acting President J&K and National Representative of AIMSA, said that in 2023, a committee was constituted which recommended increasing the stipend for MBBS and BDS interns from Rs 12,350 to Rs 25,000 per month. The committee also deliberated on stipend-related issues concerning postgraduate resident doctors. He said the recommendations were forwarded to Finance Department for approval; however, the approval was pre-conditioned on a corresponding fee hike of up to 60 per cent of the enhanced stipend amount. Subsequently, the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department sought suggestions from the Principals of all Government Medical Colleges during 2024–2025, who recommended a more reasonable fee increase of 10–20 per cent. The proposal was approved by the Health Minister in October 2025 and resubmitted to the Finance Department. However, the Finance Department returned the stipend enhancement file of MBBS and BDS interns, citing incomplete inputs from the H&ME Department, despite the file having been approved by the Health Minister and the Health Secretary. The association further stated that the Finance Department clubbed the issue of postgraduate doctors’ stipend enhancement with that of interns in June 2024, even though the committee’s recommendations were limited to interns. It said this move unnecessarily delayed the proposed enhancement and further stalled the process. AIMSA said interns and resident doctors form the backbone of the healthcare system and are working under an immense workload and responsibility. “The current stipend is highly inadequate in the present economic scenario and remains among the lowest in the country. The prolonged delay has caused severe demoralisation and financial hardship among young doctors,” the association said. It urged intervention to expedite the Finance Department’s concurrence and ensure the timely issuance of formal orders for stipend enhancement for interns and postgraduate resident doctors. The issue was also raised in the Legislative Assembly by MLA Baramulla Javid Hassan Baig, who sought to know the reasons for the delay. The House was informed that the committee constituted for the purpose had recommended enhancement of the existing stipend in favour of MBBS/BDS internees. “The Department examined and accepted the Committee’s recommendations and subsequently submitted the case to the Finance Department for necessary concurrence for its implementation.” The government said that there had been no undue delay in processing the proposal. However, it stated that the Finance Department had sought clarifications on several occasions. “Department is requested to provide complete inputs on the clarifications sought vide Finance Department UO of even number dated 12.11.2024,” the Finance Department had observed. These observations were communicated to the concerned colleges, which furnished the requisite information from time to time. It stated that the submissions received from GMCs were examined in detail by the Department, and the proposal has once again been forwarded to the Finance Department for consideration of the enhancement of stipend in favour of medical internees. “Upon approval by the Finance Department, the Department shall issue a formal order in the matter,” the reply added.