Postgraduate private trainee doctors, who blocked the Shahbagh-Kataban road demanding a pay hike, have ended their sit-in after receiving verbal promises from the authorities.

They cleared the section of the road leading towards Kataban from Shahbag around 4:30pm after three hours, reports our correspondent.

Prof Dr Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, vice chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) assured them of meeting their demands.

Under the current half-yearly payment system, a postgraduate private trainee doctor is getting a stipend of Tk 20,000 per month. They are protesting to increase it to Tk 50,000. They also want the stipend to be disbursed monthly.

Representatives of the Post Graduate Private Trainee Doctors Association said they staged the sit-in as per their scheduled programme to press home their demands.

"Last week, we enforced a work abstention programme for three days. But we did not get any response (from the higher authorities)," Zabir Hossain, president of the association, told The Daily Star.

According to the association, around 8,500 post-graduate private trainee doctors serve in different public medical colleges and health institutions countrywide.

Postgraduate trainee physicians are medical school graduates who pursue further specialised training in a specific medical field for 2-5 years to achieve higher degrees.