Services at healthcare centres run by the MCD in North and Outer Delhi may be hit as resident doctors of Hindu Rao, striking over a delay in salary, could be joined by dispensaries and other hospitals. The Municipal Corporation Doctors’ Association that comprises doctors from all hospitals under the North MCD has written to the administration saying they will resort to a complete strike from Monday if salaries of the past three months are not paid immediately.
North MCD presides over hospitals such as Hindu Rao, Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases, Kasturba Hospital, Girdhari Lal Maternity Hospital and Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis, in addition to 21 dispensaries, 63 maternity and child welfare centres, 17 polyclinics and seven maternity homes. Hundreds of people, mostly from lower income neighbourhoods, are treated here.
They employ at least 1,000 senior doctors, 500 resident doctors and 1,500 nursing officers across the medical facilities.
“Doctors of North MCD, who have been involved in Covid-related duties, have not been paid their salaries of past three months, when the government has paid salary on time to even those employees who did not work during the lockdown period… Despite braving many Covid infections and mortality amongst doctors… we always restrained ourselves from striking. Now conditions have become unbearable,” the letter reads.
Lifesaving emergency services will remain unaffected during the strike, said R R Gautam, president of the association. “The responsibility for this strike shall lie with the government which forced us to take this bitter avoidable step,” the letter reads. Hindu Rao doctors have already been joined by doctors of Rajan Babu Institute and Kasturba Hospital to press for salary demands.
North MCD mayor Jai Prakash said he has ended the strike at Rajan Babu Institute and is chalking out a strategy to end the strike elsewhere. “We are seeking help from the Centre as well as the state government and are hopeful that things would be on track soon… Like we have given salaries to other sections, they too would get theirs soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hindu Rao hospital opened its OPD on Tuesday even as resident doctors continued their protest outside.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest Delhi News, download Indian Express App.