Delhi’s North Corporation doctors take to protesting again for their salaries

Doctors at hospitals run by Delhi’s North Corporation face salary delays again, with the residents not having received their salaries for three months

Doctors at hospitals run by Delhi’s North Corporation face salary delays again, with the residents not having received their salaries for three months. The doctors also said that they haven’t received the revised dearness allowance for six months.

Image for representation. (File photo)

The resident doctors from Hindu Rao hospital, the largest one under the civic body, which also has an attached medical college, were to go on an indefinite strike Thursday onwards but deferred it keeping in mind a large number of dengue patients at the hospital.

“This month there was Diwali and even then we were not paid. To show our protest, we are continuing with a pen-down strike for three hours each day. But, we have deferred an indefinite strike as the patients are the ones who suffer. We hope that we get paid by next week so we do not have to take such a step,” said Dr Chinna Dua, joint secretary of the resident doctors’ association of Hindu Rao hospital.

However, it is not just the residents, senior doctors from all five hospitals run by the corporation, the dispensaries, polyclinics, maternity clinics, and TB clinics will also go on a strike after Wednesday next week having not been paid for over two months. Their revised dearness allowance is also pending.

“Not only have they not paid us for two months, now going on three, they haven’t increased the dearness allowance as per the Centre’s directive. What is worse is that the corporation has diverted funds from the general provident fund which is our savings. If we want to withdraw our own savings in the time of need, we cannot,” said Dr RR Gautam, president of the Municipal Corporation Doctors’ Association.

He said, the regular payment of salaries has been a long-standing issue at the north corporation and should be resolved. “The hospitals must be handed over to the Delhi or Central government if they are unable to pay our salaries. We should not have to protest every year to get our salaries,” said Dr Gautam.

Last October, the doctors went to strike over non-payment of salaries. “Despite being promised multiple times in the past, salary delay issues are persistent at Hindu Rao hospital, Delhi, which is affecting the financial and day-to-day needs of the residents of this hospital. The situation has been brought to the notice of the concerned hospital many times, however, no concrete action has been taken and the problem has become repetitive,” the doctors wrote in their letter to the nion health minister.