Demonetisation or no demonetisation, nurses of Hamidia hospital in Bhopal face cash crunch as they don’t receive salaries on time.
New batches of nurses are most affected. Nurses in the autonomous medical college and hospital get a decent salary but it is drawn from an ad-hoc planned budget released after every three months.
And demonetization has further made it difficult for them.
As many as 450 nurses have approached the directorate of medical education (DME) to sanction their salary for November.
“After every 2-3 months, we protest, talk to DME or health minister to get salaries and despite so many assurances, 42 nurses who joined in July haven’t received their salary yet. We can’t go on strike again and again because patients suffer,” Jagruk Nurses Welfare Association chairperson Gloria Singh said.
Nurses Association of Madhya Pradesh chairman Rekha Parmar said the problem exists since 2007.
“It is time that the salaries of nurses are included in the permanent budget. Whenever we had new batches of nurses joining Hamidia, our organization had to fight for their salaries. It has been nine years but government is yet to make a decision.”
The newly appointed nurses, who have a monthly salary of Rs 26,000, are worried as they do not have savings left. “Many of us celebrate Christmas and we have no money left. From July till now, 42 of us have not got salaries. Even if we get salaries, it is difficult for us to keep withdrawing because of ATM limit,” Sunita Jhunjhare, a nurse, said.
{{/usCountry}}The newly appointed nurses, who have a monthly salary of Rs 26,000, are worried as they do not have savings left. “Many of us celebrate Christmas and we have no money left. From July till now, 42 of us have not got salaries. Even if we get salaries, it is difficult for us to keep withdrawing because of ATM limit,” Sunita Jhunjhare, a nurse, said.
{{/usCountry}}Gandhi Medical College dean Dr Ulka Srivastava pleaded helplessness, saying money would be disbursed once budget was sanctioned.
“There have been talks of removing the system of planned and non–planned budget and set aside a particular amount of for salaries,” she said. Hamidia is affiliated to Gandhi Medical College.
Despite several attempts, Director of Medical Education Dr GS Patel - who was out of station, could not be contacted for comments.