MCD has funds for hoardings but not to pay doctors' salaries: Satyendar Jain

NEW DELHI: Taking a dig at Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi's Health and Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said that MCD has funds for hoardings but not for paying Doctors' salaries who are protesting against non-payment of salaries during the COVID-19 lockdown.

He reacted on the indefinite hunger strike by Resident Doctors' Associations of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Medical College and Hindu Rao hospital, who have been protesting for the past few weeks against the non-payment of salaries.

"Salaries are paid by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Instead of paying doctors' salaries, don't know where MCD is spending its funds. They have money for hoardings but not for salaries," Health Minister said while briefing the health bulletin.

Satyendar Jain had said that the government has written a letter to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) asking them to handover hospitals to Delhi government as MCD is "not able to properly run and manage their hospitals".

"It is evident that MCD is not able to properly run and manage their hospitals. We have written a letter to BJP led MCD to handover hospitals to Delhi govt, to avoid any further inconveniences to the medical, para-medical staff, and the patients coming to the hospital," he said in a tweet.

The letter stated that serious concerns have been raised regarding non-payment of salaries/wages/other dues to the medical, paramedical and other staff working in Hindu Rao Hospital, Kasturba Hospital and other hospitals of MCD.

Many doctors sat outside the hospital demanding their dues pending for several months and raised slogans against the Delhi government.

Talking about the national capital's fatality ratio in the last 10 days, Satyendar Jain said two-third of COVID-19 beds were now empty.

"In the last 10 days, the death toll has been 0.94 percent while the overall fatality ratio stands at 1.77 percent. One-third of covid beds are currently occupied and two-third is empty," the minister said.

"Dr Paul expert committee had said that due to cold & festive season, cases (per day) can spike up to 12,000-14,000 but right now it's around 4000 so the situation is contained. We are focused on containment, contact tracing & isolation to tackle the situation. Hence no relaxation in restrictions unless the vaccine arrives. Masks and social distancing absolutely mandatory. We will continue taking strict precautions," Jain added further.

The health minister also declared that schools in Delhi won't reopen in the near future. "All the school shall remain closed for the time being. We had a discussion regarding the same with the Chief Minister yesterday," he concluded.