As BMC starts 44 new HBT clinics, existing centres face non-payment of salaries

Healthcare workers at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray (HBT) clinics are facing non-payment of salaries, despite the addition of 44 new clinics. The HBT project aims to decongest tertiary care hospitals and strengthen primary healthcare. Doctors in six wards are still waiting for their salaries, with one doctor questioning why there is a delay in resolving the issue. The HBT doctors also reported a shortage of medicines, including antibiotics and blood pressure medication, with patient inflow affected. A senior BMC health official said the salary issue will be resolved this month.

Mumbai: Even as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced the addition of 44 new Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray (HBT) clinics to its existing 107, several healthcare workers attached to the HBT project continue to face non-payment of salaries.

HT Image

According to sources in the BMC health department, doctors working in HBT clinics in P North (Malad-West), H East (Santacruz East), T Ward (Mulund), M West (Chembur East), G South (Worli-Prabhadevi), and F South (Parel, Lalbaug, Hindmata) wards are still waiting for their salary.

HBT is one of the most ambitious healthcare projects of BMC aimed at decongesting its tertiary care hospitals and strengthening primary healthcare.

Dr Sanjeev Kumar, the additional municipal commissioner, on March 25, had instructed ward officers to immediately release the salaries of healthcare workers working at HBT clinics after HT’s report (March 24) on irregularities in the salary and incentive payments of doctors.

“We were promised salaries by the end of March. Still, there is no sign. It has been six months since the HBT clinic started and BMC is adding new clinics. Why is there a delay in sorting out our salary issues?” questioned a doctor.

Another doctor said they have been working long hours because of the flu season, and attending training too. “We do not have casual leaves. With no salary, how does the corporation expect us to continue working?”

The non-payment varies from ward to ward. For example, H-East ward HBT clinic doctors have not received salaries since January, while P North and M West ward HBT clinics have not received their salaries since Feb.

HBT doctors also pointed out they are facing medicine shortage issues. “Antibiotics, and certain medicines to treat blood pressure, have been in short supply in most of the HBT clinics. We have time and again brought the issue to the notice of the higher-ups. Simple medicines like antacids and calcium tablets to are not available,” said another doctor.

HBT doctors say that patient inflow has been affected because of this, and this issue is compounded as Aapli Chikitsa (another BMC diagnostic project) is not fully functional.

“One of the clinics had not received antifungal ointment stock to date. It becomes difficult to treat patients in such circumstances,” said the doctor.

Mohammed Khan (55), who visited an HBT clinic in Dharavi with a constipation complaint said the medicines prescribed to him were not available. “I was asked by the doctor to purchase it from outside,” he said.

Ataul Khan, a social activist from Dharavi, said the HBT clinic is a good initiative to strengthen healthcare at the primary level and discourage citizens living in slums from falling prey to quacks. “However, if medicines are not available, it defeats the purpose. BMC needs to fix these issues for its smooth functioning,” he said.

A senior BMC health official said the salary issue will be resolved this month. “We are creating a special code for all HBT staff. Pending salaries will be cleared soon. Once the code is created, there will not be a delay in payment henceforth,” said the official.

The official also said they are trying to resolve the medicine shortage issues at the earliest.