Ayurveda Students in Ujjain Lock College Gates Demanding Equal Stipend with MBBS Interns

Around 200 Ayurveda interns and final-year students at the government Dhanwantri Ayurveda College and Hospital in Ujjain locked the main gate on Monday morning. Their demand is simple and long-standing: raise the monthly stipend for BAMS interns from Rs 9,383 to Rs 21,500 so it matches what MBBS interns now receive in Madhya Pradesh.

The students say they perform similar clinical duties in OPDs, wards and night shifts yet take home far less. Many live in rented rooms because hostel accommodation is limited. They argue the current amount does not cover basic living costs during the one-year internship after four and a half years of study.

The protest did not start with locked gates. For several days students held peaceful sit-ins, performed a Sadbuddhi Yagna, organised a blood donation camp in which 37 of them donated blood, and some even went on a short hunger strike. They submitted memorandums to local and state officials. According to the students, verbal assurances came but no written order followed. On Monday the frustration spilled over into the gate-locking action, which left patients and hospital staff facing inconvenience.

College principal Dr O.P. Vyas described the locking of the gate as completely illegal. He said the college and even the local administration have no power to increase the stipend. The file has already moved from the directorate to the state ministry, and the decision now rests there.

Students point to rules under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine that, in their reading, call for parity in stipends across different systems of medicine and discourage discrimination. They also note that several other states pay AYUSH interns substantially higher amounts.

For medical aspirants and current BAMS students in Madhya Pradesh the episode raises practical questions about the financial support available during internship. Parents watching their children complete rigorous courses are left wondering whether the stipend structure keeps pace with rising living costs and the responsibilities interns actually carry. Teachers and college administrators find themselves in the middle, managing both student demands and the smooth running of patient care.

As of Monday the matter remains with the state ministry. Students have said they will continue the agitation until a clear written order is issued. Hospital services at the attached facility have been affected, and further developments will decide how quickly normal functioning returns.

The demand for equal treatment in stipend has been raised at other Ayurveda colleges in the state as well, turning the Ujjain action into a visible test of how the government responds to AYUSH interns seeking parity with their allopathic counterparts.