Srinagar, Sept. 7 -- The protest by medical interns across Jammu and Kashmir has reached a decisive juncture, exposing the fragility of the health system when essential service providers are compelled to agitate for basic recognition. These interns, who form the backbone of patient care in hospitals and clinics, have made it clear that verbal assurances are no longer acceptable. They demand a formal government order enhancing their stipend, a measure that would not only ease their financial strain but also restore dignity to their role as frontline caregivers. Without such clarity, the agitation risks escalating into a hunger strike, a step that would deepen the crisis and erode public trust in governance.

The absence of a written assura...