Chhattisgarh hikes MBBS intern stipend to Rs 25,000 amid doctors' protest

Chhattisgarh's health ministry announced that the monthly stipend for MBBS interns will be raised to Rs 25,000, a significant jump from the previous amount. The decision was communicated to medical colleges across the state and will take effect from the upcoming financial cycle.

The move comes amid a wave of protests by junior doctors who have been demanding higher pay, better working conditions, and timely allowances. Over the past weeks, interns in several government hospitals staged sit‑ins and submitted petitions to the state administration.

Health officials said the stipend hike is intended to address the immediate grievances of the interns and to ensure that essential medical services are not disrupted. They added that the government will continue to review other aspects of junior doctors' remuneration.

While many interns welcomed the increase, representatives of the doctors' association indicated that broader reforms, including regularisation and hazard pay, remain unresolved.