A decision was taken on Sunday (December 29) to raise the allowance of postgraduate trainee doctors to Tk 35,000 from July 1 next.
However, the allowance will remain at Tk 30,000 from January to June next year which was rejected outright by trainee doctors.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare held at the secretariat in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon. The ministry's special assistant Professor Dr Sayedur Rahman confirmed about it.
It is learnt that the meeting was held at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare early Sunday afternoon. The meeting led by the health ministry's special assistant Dr Sayedur Rahman was attended by Doctors Movement for Justice Society president Dr Jabir Hossain, general secretary Dr Nurunnabi, Jatiya Nagorik Committee's Dr Mohammad Abdul Ahad, Dr Humayun Kabir Himu, Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) treasurer Dr Zahirul Islam Shakil, National Doctors Forum's vice-president Professor Dr Atiar Rahman and joint secretary Dr Ruhul Quddus Biplob, among others.
Meanwhile, trainee doctors said they rejected the decision. Following the announcement of the decision, the trainee doctors at Shahbagh crossing became more agitated. They said they heard of the decision earlier. "It's nothing new to us. No dally-dillying tactics would be accepted. Our demand of Tk 50,000 must be fixed. Otherwise, we will stay at Shahbagh."
Earlier, trainee doctors staged sit-in at Shahbagh crossing from 11:00am to press home their demand of raising allowance to Tk 50,000 from the existing Tk 30,000, creating acute congestion of vehicles and untold sufferings for commuters hour after hour.
