Chhattisgarh dental students protest over stipend disparity

Dental students from government institutions in Chhattisgarh have begun a protest in Raipur, calling for their stipends to be revised to match those paid to MBBS interns and postgraduate doctors.

The protest led by students of Government Dental College has intensified over recent days, with participants presenting data, expense records, and official documents to support their case.

At the protest venue, students displayed comparison charts showing stipend levels for postgraduate dental students in other government colleges across the country.

According to the figures shared, MDS students in cities including Cuttack, Patna, Mumbai, Pune, and KGMU Lucknow receive monthly stipends ranging from ₹68,000 to ₹1.16 lakh, depending on their year of study.

In contrast, postgraduate dental students in Raipur are paid between ₹53,000 and ₹59,000, while dental interns receive ₹12,600 per month.

“This gap is too wide to ignore,” a protesting student said. “We are doing the same hospital work, but our stipends are far lower.”

Students also highlighted the financial burden of dental education through an exhibit labeled “Expense Wall,” which detailed mandatory costs faced by postgraduate trainees.

Items listed included micromotors, laptops, surgical kits, apex locators, implant kits, articulators, loupe systems, endomotors, conference fees, and thesis-related expenses.

“These are not optional purchases,” a student said. “Without these instruments, we cannot treat patients or complete our training. On average, a PG student spends over ₹1.5 lakh, and that makes it very hard to manage expenses with the current stipend.”

Protesters pointed to state government notifications showing that stipends for MBBS interns and postgraduate doctors have already been revised upward.

Under the updated structure, MBBS interns receive ₹15,900 per month, while first-year MD and MS students are paid ₹67,500, with incremental increases in subsequent years.

Dental students argue that they were excluded from these revisions despite having similar duty hours, patient responsibilities, emergency work, and academic expectations.

“We work in OPDs, wards, and emergency services just like medical PGs,” one student said. “The only difference is that we have to buy our own instruments.”

The students said the disparity has affected not only their finances but also their mental wellbeing and academic performance.

We are constantly under stress because of money. That should not be the case when we are working full time in a government hospital,” another student said.

The protesters have demanded that stipends for BDS interns and MDS postgraduate students be revised in line with MBBS norms, as followed in several other states. They warned that the agitation will be escalated if no action is taken.

Students said they plan to continue the protest, maintaining that their demand is supported by national comparisons, official approvals, and documented data.