Hans News Service Hyderabad

SeveralForeign Medical Graduates (FMG) doctors were arrested by the police while they were protesting against the disparity in the payment of stipend. After 15 days of silent protest, they protested at the DME office on Thursday.

The Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) were protesting at the office of the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) at Koti. These doctors, who completed their MBBS degrees abroad, are demanding a monthly stipend of Rs 29,792 like other MBBS doctors in the state. They allege that some of them were currently receiving only Rs. 5,000 per month. The doctors, who have been protesting since October 8, were also urging the government to release their pending dues. The doctors said that despite Supreme Court orders to provide Rs 29,792 per month, the government was providing only Rs 5,000. The doctors raised slogans stating ‘equal work equal pay’, ‘We want justice’ etc. The doctors alleged that when questioned about the stipend they were threatened to cancel the internships.

The doctors alleged that while they were taking up peaceful protest, the police took them into custody and took them to various parts of the city not informing them where they were taking them.

Meanwhile, several doctors associations have condemned the arrests of the doctors. The Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA), Telangana, the Resident Doctors Association, the Telangana Junior Doctors Associations have strongly condemned the detention of FMGs who are ‘peacefully protesting’ within the premises to raise their genuine demands.“We demand that the police immediately release all detained FMG interns without registering any cases against them. India is a democratic country, where every citizen has the right to raise genuine concerns and seek justice through peaceful protest. Detention, intimidation, and threats must not be used to silence the legitimate voices of doctors who are fighting for their rightful demands,” the HRDA has said.