NEW DELHI: Doctors and frontline healthcare workers at Delhi’s Coviddedicated Hindu Rao Hospital — run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation — have threatened to withdraw their services within 48 hours in protest against non-payment of salaries for almost 4 months.
The warning comes after a months-long symbolic protest, which did not disrupt services, failed to move the authorities towards the plight of Hindu Rao Hospital’s Covid Warriors.
Apart from emergency services, other duties were not performed by the doctors.
“An emolument is an imperative way to enliven one’s attitude but due to the neglect by the administration for 3.5 months, it more seems like penal servitude than moral discipline. We are tormented in ways to surpass our ethics of being called as skilled workers to public demonstrators seeking our primitive rights to be remunerated,” read the letter written by RDA to the Medical Superintendent of the hospital.
“This is in all physiological and psychological ways too dispiriting and heart-wrecking and we would like to regrettably disengage from the Covid facility w.e.f Saturday i.e 10.10.2020, illustrating our debilitated strength to administer our expertise,” it added.
“I went to the spot where doctors, nurses and employees of Hindu Rao Hospital are protesting against salary and other demands. I heard their demands and assured to solve their problems as soon as possible. The healthcare workers also agreed to end the strike soon after the assurance,” said Jai Prakash, Mayor, North MCD.
However, the unconvinced resident doctors said that they will continue with the protest, “The Mayor did come and assured us but that is all verbal assurance and nothing written on paper.”
This is not the first time that the doctors from Hindu Rao are protesting against delay in salary. During the ongoing pandemic months, the RDA of the hospital, senior doctors, nurses and para-medical staff have repeatedly raised the issue of timely payment of salary.