Overview
- MBBS 2021 batch interns at SKIMS Bemina started a hunger strike and AIMSA-J&K announced that no MBBS or BDS intern will voluntarily undertake emergency-duty assignments until a formal written order is issued.
- The interns are pressing for a rise in the monthly internship stipend from the current ₹12,300, which protesters say has not changed since 2019, to ₹30,000 to match pay in other states and reflect their clinical workload.
- The Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) formally wrote to the J&K Chief Minister on September 7, 2026, urging personal intervention and asking that the 2023 Health and Medical Education Department committee recommendation (GO No. 538-JK(HME) of 2023) be implemented.
- Organisers say the movement will remain peaceful and disciplined, that patient-safety handovers and protocols must be followed, and that only authorised intern representatives may negotiate with authorities.
- If the refusal of voluntary emergency duties continues it could strain hospital staffing and push the Health and Medical Education Department to issue the written order protesters demand, so the next developments to watch are any official order from J&K authorities or a scheduled dialogue with authorised intern representatives.