Bhopal, March 13 (IANS) In a significant decision, the Madhya Pradesh government has approved revised stipend for the junior resident doctors in the government-run medical colleges and hospitals in the state, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla said on Friday.

He added that the revised stipend structure has been implemented from April 1, 2025, reflecting an increase in the stipends of junior doctors working in the state's medical colleges based on a Consumer Price Index (CPI) factor of 2.94.

Deputy Chief Minister Shukla, who looks after the health and medical education departments in the state, expressed confidence that junior doctors would play a significant role, with complete dedication, in empowering and fortifying the state's healthcare services.

"In medical colleges and their affiliated hospitals, they do not merely complete their medical training; junior doctors also play a leading role in providing continuous healthcare services to patients. Keeping the interests of junior doctors in mind, revised stipend has been approved by the medical education department," he said in a statement.

Under the revised structure, the stipend for first-year postgraduation students has been raised from Rs 75,444 to Rs 77,662; for second-year students from Rs 77,764 to Rs 80,050; and for third-year students from Rs 80,086 to Rs 82,441.

Similarly, the stipend for interns has been increased from Rs 13,928 to Rs 14,337.

The stipends for the first, second, and third years of Super Specialty medical courses have also been increased and fixed at Rs 82,441.

Likewise, the stipend for senior resident doctors has been increased from Rs 88,210 to Rs 90,803, while the stipend for junior resident doctors has been fixed at Rs 63,324.

The approval came following the junior doctors from across Madhya Pradesh staged a protest organised by the Junior Doctors' Association (JUDA), demanding implementation of a stipend revision promised under a June 7, 2021, government order.

The strike was called off after Deputy Chief Minister Shukla during a meeting with a JUDA delegation in Jabalpur on March 10.

--IANS

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