2,000 North civic body doctors threaten indefinite strike from Monday to protest non-payment of salaries

Since many of these health centres conduct testing and contact tracing activities for Covid-19, the doctors in their letter have requested the north corporation commissioner to make alternative arrangements.

At least 2,000 senior doctors working in the five hospitals, dispensaries and clinics run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from Monday to protest over non-payment of salaries for over three months.

Resident doctors and nurses of Hindu Rao Hospital continue to protest against Delhi Government and MCD alleging salary non-payment over the last few months, in New Delhi. (Amal KS/HT file photo)

Since many of these health centres conduct testing and contact tracing activities for Covid-19, the doctors in their letter have requested the north corporation commissioner to make alternative arrangements.

“Our families have been continuously subjected to brutal financial hardship... doctors are feeling immensely demoralised, mentally stressed and depressed because of non-payment of salaries for months. The responsibility for this strike shall lie with the government which forced us to take this bitter avoidable step. We feel sorry for our public and apologise to them beforehand,” read the letter by the Municipal Corporation Doctors’ Association, which on Monday had urged Delhi lieutenant governor to file an FIR against “authorities”.

The association said it has received no response from authorities on their letter.

“My mother has suffered a stroke and is extremely unwell. My daughter is studying abroad. How am I supposed to pay for anything if I do not get my salary? With no salary for over three months, even getting groceries is difficult. I know lots of people who are borrowing money from their relatives to run their households,” said Dr RR Gautam, president of the association.

Dr Soobrata Ray from Maharshi Valmiki Infectious Disease hospital said, “My son joined Delhi Technological University this year, we had to pay around Rs 2 lakh fees. My younger son goes to Delhi Public School, I had to pay the fees. Now, we are left with nothing even for groceries. We cannot plan anything.”

North corporation mayor Jai Prakash said they will pay the pending salaries in the next 10-15 days.

“The doctors and nursing union members from Rajan Babu hospital met me in the morning. I assured them that their salaries will be paid in the next ten to fifteen days. I explained that a strike just draws our energy away from the task of generating funds. The doctors are all well-educated and should take the responsibility of treating the patients while we work on getting the money. We need about R15 -20 crore for paying the salaries of all hospital employees. We need to pay the nurses, senior doctors, junior doctors, administrative staff and everyone otherwise the hospitals cannot run smoothly. We just need some time,” the mayor said.

Around 250 doctors from Hindu Rao Hospital -- the biggest facility run by North DMC -- have been on strike for the last four days. All Covid-19 patients being managed by the hospital were moved to Delhi government-run centres and the hospital was removed from the list of designated Covid-19 treatment centre on Tuesday.

The Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain has been saying that the MCD should hand over the hospitals to the state government. “They are unable to run the hospitals properly; we have offered to take it over. For a few years now, the MCD has been trying to hand over the hospitals to the central government, which has refused to take over. So, we have offered,” said Jain.

The doctors have also urged the MCD to hand over the hospitals to other authorities for a long-term solution. “On one hand, North MCD is unable to arrange funds to pay salaries to its employees, and on the other hand, they are not exploring options like handing over the entire health services except public health to any other government organisations like the central government,” the letter said.