On Friday, agitating junior doctors at Bihar government medical colleges got a shot in the arm when Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey said he would seek intervention from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to address the issues leading to the strike.
The two-day national seminar organized by the Government of Ayurveda College and Hospital, Patna, on ‘the role of rasaushadhi in Covid-19’ was inaugurated by Choubey in Patna.
For the sake of embattled humanity, the Union Minister called on the junior doctors to call off the protest, as he will soon meet with the CM and address their requests for a stipend raise.
Approximately 1,000 junior doctors from nine state medical colleges went on an indefinite strike on December 23 in favor of their demand for a monthly stipend rise. They are seeking a rise to Rs 80,000 in the first year, Rs 85,000 in the second year and Rs 90,000 in the third year of the monthly stipend for PG courses. For the three years each, they now earn Rs 50,000, Rs 55,000, and Rs 60,000.
Earlier, speaking at the seminar, the Minister of the Union assured him of all necessary assistance to establish the college as a national institution. He also said his ministry will endorse the initiative of the state government to establish another Ayurvedic institution at Rajgir.
Choubey praised the idea of Ayurvedic medicine and said that, since time immemorial, herbs have often played a major role in treating different forms of infections. Ayurveda and Yoga help human beings develop immunity from certain mysterious diseases.
The seminar was attended by the Principal of Dineshwar Prasad College, Superintendent Vijay Shankar Dubey, and several famous Ayurveda experts from around the world.
