MUMBAI, Oct. 1 -- Resident doctors from Cooper Hospital took out a march in the hospital premises on Tuesday to demand a long-pending stipend hike and to protest against the discrimination between Diplomate of National Board (DNB) residents and their MD/MS counterparts. They said that the protest stemmed from a grievance that had remained unresolved for over 17 months. DNB students, who come under the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, allege that despite working equal hours and carrying out the same responsibilities as MD/MS residents-who are regulated by the National Medical Commission and Maharashtra University of Health Sciences-they are being denied the benefits they are entitled to. In March 2024, the state issued a Government Resolution (GR) announcing a monthly stipend hike of Rs.10,000 for all resident doctors. From September that year, MD/MS residents began receiving the revised stipend, which now totals around Rs.93,000 inclusive of canteen and dearness allowance and health insurance. DNB residents, however, continue to draw only Rs.80,000. Their payslips list them as house officers, a contractual post, rather than resident doctors, which excludes them from allowances altogether. "This is not just a financial setback; it is deeply insulting," said a protesting doctor. "We joined as resident doctors but are being labelled as house officers, which makes us look like contractual staff. The reality is we are doctors handling patients round the clock." At Cooper Hospital, the only one of the four BMC-run medical colleges to offer a DNB course, there are 111 MD/MS resident doctors and 43 DNB residents. Yet, entire departments such as gynaecology and psychiatry rely heavily on DNB manpower. In general surgery, for instance, only two DNB residents currently shoulder the department's workload. The DNB residents also underlined the mental toll. "When you are doing the same 24/7 duties as your peers but are paid less simply because of the course you are enrolled in, it feels discriminatory," said one. "We are not students shadowing someone. This is demoralising. We are resident doctors, handling patients, running OPDs, and managing emergencies. The tag of DNB should not reduce our worth." DNB residents pointed out that many of their DNB peers in government medical colleges had already received the stipend hike. "We have approached the municipal commissioner several times in the last year, but nothing has moved," one resident explained. "The previous director had even cleared our payment file, but the accounts department later told us it would not be able to release the funds. We don't understand how one wing of the administration can override another's approval." Dr Neelam Andrade, director of all BMC hospitals, said the GR did not specifically mention DNB residents. "We need clarity on whether they are also eligible for the hike," she said. "I have already explained to them that they need to make a common proposal for all DNB resident doctors across BMC hospitals, along with documents showing the hike and clarity on whether other DNB residents are receiving it." Andrade added that once the proposal was received, its budgeting would have to be considered. "Then the municipal commissioner will approve it, and after that it will go to the standing committee for clearance," she said. "The process is such. Right now, the accounts department is saying that because there is no clarity, it cannot be processed." A DNB resident retorted that multiple administrative proposals had been sent to the corporation, but despite a constant back-and-forth, no concrete results had emerged. "These proposals can only be drafted by the administrative department," he said. "It is their responsibility and jurisdiction, not ours." The resident added that Dr Andrade had told them about putting up the proposal only a day earlier after the BMC was informed about the planned protest. With no concrete resolution in sight, the residents have warned that a larger protest could be the next step if the disparity is not addressed....