Karnataka: Around 250 students of the BSc Allied Health Sciences program at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) recently intensified their protest at the Victoria Hospital campus.The students began their indefinite strike on Wednesday, demanding the immediate implementation of a stipend for their mandatory one-year internship and the provision of basic academic infrastructure.Also Read: Kerala Government Doctors call for Indefinite Strike from February 2 over pending demandsOn this, the All India Students Association (AISA), which is supporting the strike, said that students will continue to boycott classes and internship duties until a firm timeline is provided for the implementation of the stipend.The protest includes interns, lab technicians, optometrists, and radiology assistants. The protesters allege that despite working 8 to 12-hour shifts with a heavy clinical workload, they have not received any financial compensation. This is in contrast to those working at other government institutions such as Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology and Jayadeva Institute, who receive a monthly stipend ranging from Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 15,000.According to the Deccan Herald media news report, before launching the protests, the students had appealed to the college administration and the state government. However, they received the same response every time: that the stipend was a “policy decision” and was awaiting government funding.In addition, the students also highlighted the long-standing lack of facilities. It is reported that the AHS department lacks a dedicated building and permanent faculty. Classes are often taught by medical postgraduate (PG) students, who receive no payment for this extra teaching responsibility.KEY DEMANDS1 Immediate implementation of a monthly stipend for the 3+1 internship year (interns currently work 8 to 12-hour shifts unpaid). 2 Provision of a dedicated academic building for Allied Health Sciences (AHS).3 Appointment of permanent, qualified faculty for AHS instead of relying solely on Medical PG students. 4 Provision of government hostel facilities for interns who are currently forced to stay in expensive private accommodations.Also Read: Telangana doctors announce statewide strike against GO 229

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