NEW DELHI: The Resident Doctors Association of the North civic body-run Hindu Rao hospital decided to go ahead with its plan of launching an indefinite strike over pending salaries from Monday.
Visited by hundreds of patients daily, Hindu Rao is the largest hospital operated by the North civic body. A medical college began operating from Hindu Rao in 2013. The BJP-ruled North civic body blames the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government for its financial crisis, which, it claims, is the cause for this situation.
Resident doctors had written to the medical superintendent that they haven’t received their salaries for three months, owing to which around 400 resident doctors went on a strike for two days earlier. “We have given 48 hours to the authorities concerned to come up with a concrete solution to our salary issues. From May 20 onwards, we will go on an indefinite strike if our demands are not met by then,” the Association had said.
On Sunday, the Association, in a statement, declared “an indefinite strike commencing at 9 am onwards on May 20”. “We have persistently requested our administration for basic demands like receiving our salaries on time (delayed more than three months), protection from the violence, availability of potable drinking water, a 24-hour library and regular JR/SR interviews,” read the statement signed by Association president Rahul Choudhary and general secretary Sanjeev Choudhary.
The Association rued that many meetings took place but no action was taken, so far. “Hence, we will go on an indefinite hunger strike from the upcoming Monday, till our salary is credited and other demands fulfilled.”
Resident doctors would be running a parallel OPD in front of the G Block (Administrative Block) keeping in mind the interests of patients, the Association added.