PG medical students urge govt to disburse pending stipends

Hyderabad: Postgraduate medical students, interns and foreign medical graduates have appealed to the govt for immediate release of pending stipends, alleging prolonged delays in disbursement.In a press release, they stated that stipends for PG students of all batches and Indian graduate interns are yet to be credited, while foreign medical graduates have not received payments for the past two to three months.“The delay has caused severe financial hardship, as many are dependent on stipends for accommodation, food, educational expenses and family responsibilities. There is concern over rising mental stress and anxiety among students and interns due to the uncertainty over payments,” said Dr Venkatesh Kumar Durgam, a senior resident.Despite repeated representations to authorities, the issue remains unresolved, they alleged. The group urged the state govt, chief secretary and finance department officials to establish a streamlined system to ensure stipends are credited on or before the 10th of every month.