NEW DELHI: Doctors under the National Health Mission (NHM) in Delhi complaining of apathy from the state government said that despite working during Covid-19 pandemic, their salaries have not been increased and their demand of equal pay at par with other state government doctors has not been
fulfilled yet.
The doctors have been requesting the health minister and senior officials in the department to give them “equal pay for equal work” but no action has been taken in the last five years. Around 250 doctors were deployed at Covid care centres, vaccination centres, dispensaries, mohalla clinics, surveillance, containment zones etc during the Covid-19 pandemic across the national capital.
“Many of the doctors tested positive, not once but twice and we ourselves had to pay for their medication,” said Dr Alka Chaudhary, president of Delhi NHM Doctors’ Association. She added, “It was not only us but our families were also affected. We lost three doctors.” She said that the Delhi cabinet approved a conveyance allowance for the doctors in 2018, but had not paid them till date.
“For the last five years we have tried to contact the government and meet the health minister and senior officials in the department but they failed to understand our problems,” said Dr Chaudhary. When this newspaper tried to contact Dr Nutan Mundeja, Director General Health Services, she did not respond nor did she met the reporter when she visited her office.
Dr Shruti Mittal, a doctor working with a dispensary in Delhi, added that the doctors from Delhi NHM Doctors Association went on a one day token strike but withdrew it considering the patients and their well being. “Last year the health minister assured us that a committee has been formed under Dr Nutan Mundeja who is taking care of our issues, but no action has been taken so far,” she added.
One of the emails written by the association to the health minister read, “We, 250 doctors and specialists, have been working in the Delhi State National Health mission since 2007 on contract. We are performing all duties equivalent to our regular counterparts running health centres, managing vaccination, tests, home isolation, Covid care centre, surveillance, containments, teleconsultations, patient transfers, routine OPDs, implementing all national health programmes, etc.”
“We are doing our duties with full dedication and Qsincerity, without any leave, holiday or incentive for more than a year in the Covid-19 pandemic,” the letter further added.
Doctors seek ‘equal pay for equal work’
The medical practitioners say they have been requesting the health ministry to give them “equal pay for equal work” on par with other state government doctors but no
action has been taken so far