AURANGABAD: The strike by the intern doctors at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here entered the second day on Thursday. Of the 192 intern doctors, 176 are on strike, Shivaji Sukre, who is holding additional charge of GMCH dean, told TOI.The Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) had called an indefinite strike from Wednesday demanding increase in their stipend. .Sukre, however, said that the strike has had hardly any effect on patient care at the hospital as the interns are not practising doctors. “The students who are in the final year of the five-year MBBS course receive stipend and are in the phase of practical training. They are assigned departments and learn to work in the wards with doctors and nurses.”“The interns have a provisional registration number but do not hold the authority to prescribe medicines or give treatment. It is only after completion one-year internship that they get a permanent registration number,” Sukre said.In a memorandum submitted to the dean, the local body of the ASMI, on behalf of the agitating students, has demanded increase in stipend with effect from February 2018, fixing of working hours, and no increase in internship period due to the days lost in strike.In July 2015, the state had decided to increase the stipend to Rs 11,000 from Rs 6,000. The intern doctors had called a strike on April 26, 2018 to remind the government of its decision. On May 2, following a meeting with state medical education minister Girish Mahajan, DMER officials and other key officials, the interns were given an assurance on stipend hike. However, no action has been taken since, the interns said.Sukre has promised to forward the demands of the interns to the officials concerned. No breakthrough was achieved on the strike until late on Thursday evening.

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