NEW DELHI: The Medical Superintendent of Swami Dayanand Hospital has threatened the protesting doctors to resume duties or face terminations. In a circular, the attendance of resident doctors who participated in the strike on February 3 was marked as absent and the circular stated that all the junior residents and senior residents would be terminated with effect from February 4 at 9 am.
“All contractual doctors of your department are marked absent and a report sent to DHA for necessary disciplinary action,” the circular said. The doctors and nurses of the hospital, which is run by East Delhi Municipal Corporation, are on strike against non-payment of salaries for the last four months.
They started the strike as the last resort so that the corporation could release the salaries of healthcare workers. According to Dr Atul Jain, President of the Resident Doctors Association, the association has taken cognizance of the circular and is now waiting for tomorrow to see what the hospital administration is planning to do.
“We are asking for what is our right. A majority of the doctors are not from other states living in Delhi. Many have to send money back to their families, pay rent, EMIs, loans etc and with no salary, their lives have come to a halt,” said Dr Jain.
Dr Jain said that the association has not received any assurance from the municipal corporation or hospital authorities. “Conditions are pathetic for us. Many male and female nurses have to send money to their homes per month and if their families are here, they have to pay rent, school fees, EMI, car loans, and personal loans. Many have medical issues. We have referral privilege. But we’ve to pay the bill for those medical facilities. With no salary, everything has been affected, but the authorities can’t see our pain,” said sister Bindu of the hospital.
She added, “The administration gave our October salary only when we sat on strike on Monday,” she adds.
EDMC Commissioner Vikas Anand appealed to the doctors to return to work. Anand said that the corporation is going through financial crunches and even in such difficult times the corporation is sensitive towards the interests of its employees. The Commissioner assured the striking doctors that they would be given their salaries for February and March on time. Also, their due arrears would be paid in May as per the availability of the funds.