Medical interns on indefinite strike

About 400 medical Interns at the Government Rajaji Hospital here and Government hospitals in Southern districts today began their indefinite boycott of work demanding an increase in stipend, revised in 2004.
Interns of MBBS course wanted their stipend to be increased from Rs.8200 to Rs.20,000 per month.
The PG interns wanted their stipend to be increased from Rs.17400 to Rs.40000 a month.They alleged that the state was paying the lowest stipend in the country.
They demanded more stipend (Rs 42000) for those who intern at hospitals as part of the super-speciality programmes.
Hospital officials said work in Madurai had not been affected and they were managing the in-patients with the help of nursing students and trainees.

Interns' Association president here, Kavinkumar said more than 3500 interns in the state were protesting and they would stay at the demonstration venue at the hospital but would not attend to work.