NEW DELHI: Resident doctors of Hindu Rao hospital called off their indefinite strike after a little over 24 hours on Tuesday after the North civic body disbursed their salaries. Last week, senior and junior resident doctors decided to sit on a stir against the hospital administration for not paying their salaries for three months. The Hindu Rao hospital — the largest hospital under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s purview — has more than 400 resident doctors. While the junior resident doctors fall under the pay scale of Rs 95,000 per month, the senior doctors get Rs 1.10 lakh.
In the morning, Union minister Vijay Goel, along with North civic body Mayor Avtar Singh, reached the hospital, after North civic body’s commissioner Varsha Joshi had announced that the salary of the doctors will soon reach their accounts. On Monday, Joshi had said that the Delhi government had paid Rs 206.05 crore to the civic body and the money will be released to pay grade-wise as far as possible. “Also, we have to take care of pensions and terminal benefits,” she had said.
The crisis, according to the BJP-ruled North civic body, arose after the Delhi government had not paid Rs 385 crore worth tax of the first quarter. Except for sanitation workers and Group D staff, the civic agency has not been able to pay salaries for over two months.
“The salary up to the month of March has already been released and credited in the account of the resident doctors. The salary for the month of April is being paid and will be credited to the account,” read a letter addressed to the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) by Medical Superintendent Dr Sangita Nangia.
The letter stated that the demand of arrears will be taken up with the competent authority. “Our demands were not wrong. Despite going on strike, we conducted a separate OPD so that the patients didn’t have to face difficulty. The RDA is grateful to the minister and the MCD for coming up with a quick solution,” said Dr Rahul Chaudhary, Secretary RDA.