# J&K MBBS, BDS interns warn of hunger strike from October 10 2026-10-07T08:48:07+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet MBBS and BDS interns in Jammu and Kashmir are waiting for the government to issue a stipend hike order by the October 9 deadline, failing which they will begin an indefinite hunger strike from October 10. The J&K government had assured on September 8 that it would finalise the stipend enhancement within 30 days based on the Stipend Enhancement Committee's recommendations. The interns, from 10 government medical colleges and two dental colleges, had called off a previous hunger strike after Health Minister Sakina Itoo promised to look into their demand. They say the current stipend of about Rs 400 per day is lower than an unskilled worker's daily wage and insufficient for commuting expenses. The All India Medical Students' Association (AIMSA) has also written to the minister seeking urgent revision of stipends for postgraduate residents. AIMSA's J&K intern representative Dr Mohammad Akib Javid said on X that interns want a written order and implementation, not confrontation. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The one-day countdown puts the J&K health department in a bind: either issue the stipend order by October 9 or face a renewed indefinite hunger strike from October 10 that would disrupt hospital services. The interns' demand for parity with daily-wage workers exposes how stipends of about Rs 400 per day have not kept pace with living costs in the region. AIMSA's letter widens the dispute beyond MBBS and BDS interns by including MD, MS and DNB residents, who also cite inter-state disparities. The government's written assurance on September 8 set the expectation that the Stipend Enhancement Committee's recommendations would be implemented, but no order has been released. With the deadline expiring on October 9, the decision rests with Health Minister Sakina Itoo. ## Coverage - medicaldialogues.in Reports intern deadline and strike threat without editorialising. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: BDS interns, Jammu and Kashmir, MBBS interns, Sakina Itoo, stipend hike Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/jk-mbbs-bds-interns-warn-of-hunger-strike-from-october-10/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/jk-mbbs-bds-interns-warn-of-hunger-strike-from-october-10/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/