Kasturba Hospital docs call off stir after meeting mayor

However, permanent doctors of north corporation hospitals and other peripheral centres said they will go on an indefinite strike from March 22 if their salaries, pending for the past four months, are not paid by Sunday.

Resident doctors of Kasturba Hospital, who were on an indefinite strike since Saturday over pending salaries, on Tuesday called off their stir after the North Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor assured them that their salaries dues will be cleared by the end of the month.

Doctors of Kasturba Hospital protest during a strike, at Daryaganj, in New Delhi. (HT Photo)

However, permanent doctors of north corporation hospitals and other peripheral centres said they will go on an indefinite strike from March 22 if their salaries, pending for the past four months, are not paid by Sunday.

Dr Sunil Kumar, president of the Resident Doctors Association of Kasturba Hospital, said the decision to call off the strike was taken after a meeting with mayor Jai Prakash who assured the association members that salaries of doctors will be released soon.

“Our three months’ salary is pending. The mayor assured us that a month’s salary will be released within two days and the rest will come in a week’s time. He assured us that all our pending salaries will be cleared by the end of the month. After these assurances, we decided to call off our strike,” Kumar said.

Meanwhile, permanent doctors deployed at north corporation hospitals and at peripheral centres such as dispensaries, maternity and child welfare centres, chest clinics (TB centres) clarified that they will continue with their announced schedule of striking work from March 22 and also going on mass casual leave on Friday. The decision in this regard was taken in a general body meeting of the Municipal Corporation Doctors’ Association on Monday night.

In a letter to the North Corporation commissioner, permanent doctors have also demanded an interest of 18% for the period for which their salaries were delayed. “It was unanimously resolved in the GBM (general body meeting) to protest against non-payment of salaries and arrears by resorting to mass casual leave on Friday . If our four months’ pay is not released by March 20 (Saturday), then doctors will go on an indefinite strike from March 22 (Monday),” said the letter.