Mumbai, July 31 -- The Maharashtra Senior Resident Doctor Association (MSRDA), representing over 5,000 doctors, has threatened a state-wide agitation if its three key concerns are not addressed immediately. In an ultimatum to the state government and the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), MSRDA demanded regular stipend disbursement, equal pay for equal work, and a clear leave policy of 20 special leaves and 12 casual leaves annually. The MSRDA called the government's actions "systemic cruelty" as it flagged three key issues faced by senior resident doctors. Due to stipend delays of up to three months in several colleges, doctors at Grant government medical college, GMC Ambernath, and Chandrapur are facing financial distress and have not been paid since May. The gross stipend disparity leads to senior residents at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) peripheral hospitals earning significantly less than their counterparts working at the city's more prominent hospitals. In addition, the absence of a leave policy leads to burnouts and suicides among residents, as well as a decline in patient care and medical education in the state. "If urgent action is not initiated on these fronts immediately, then the association will have no choice but to launch a state-wide agitation," the association said in a letter addressed to DMER on Tuesday. Senior residents in Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, Bhabha Hospital in Kurla and Bandra receive a monthly remuneration ranging from Rs.64,000-Rs.66,000. However, their counterparts in teaching hospitals including Cooper, Sion, Nair, KEM, receive over Rs.90,000 per month, nearly Rs.30,000-Rs.40,000 more for the same work. According to a government resolution (GR) passed in March 2024, senior residents are to be paid more than Rs.95,000 per month, but doctors said the GR is yet to be implemented. The MSRDA has approached the BMC many times, writing a letter over a year ago and even two months ago, to no avail. Dr Abhijeet Helge, president of MSRDA said, "We have written everywhere but it always falls on deaf ears." He added that the association was waiting for a response from the government because they knew that a strike would take a toll on patient care. Dr Abhijeet Holambe, a senior resident and psychiatrist at Ambedkar Hospital, Kandivali said, "Many colleagues who are in the same position as me, earn 50% more than I do." Other doctors often turn to Holambe to talk about their mental frustration and burnouts, he said, highlighting the urgent need for a solution....