Bijbehara, Jammu Mirror: Jammu and Kashmir Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo on Friday affirmed that the demand put forward by striking MBBS and BDS interns for a stipend hike is entirely valid, while cautioning political factions against converting an administrative matter into a tool for opportunistic grandstanding.

Interacting with media persons during her tour of Bijbehara, the minister drew upon her own medical background to express empathy with the protesting junior doctors, highlighting that the frontline duties they discharge across hospitals remain central to the healthcare ecosystem.

“Having been a doctor myself, I have firsthand understanding of the hurdles and exhaustion interns encounter during their rigorous training. Their contribution to hospital wards is vital, and the concerns they are raising regarding their compensation are completely authentic.” — Sakeena Itoo, Minister for Health & Medical Education

The minister explained that the administration has actively engaged with the proposal, confirming that the relevant procedural documentation is currently being vetted by the Finance Department. She reiterated that the government is steering the case through established official channels to formulate a sustainable financial mechanism for the interns’ benefit at the earliest possible juncture.

Warning Against Political Exploitation Itoo sharply criticized attempts to politicize the clinical strike: “The interns’ core concern is valid, but it should never be turned into an arena for political scoring. Those who are currently trying to champion this cause for political mileage ought to introspect and remember what concrete initiatives they delivered for interns during their own years in power.”

Her remarks land amid widespread industrial action staged by dental and medical interns in Government Medical Colleges across the Union Territory, who have paused non-essential hospital services to press for a revised monthly stipend.

Reaffirming that the administration remains fully seized of the situation, the Health Minister appealed for patience, assuring that institutional steps are in motion to deliver an equitable administrative solution.