CHENNAI: Service doctors pursuing first year postgraduate courses in some medical colleges in Tamil Nadu are facing inordinate delay in getting their salaries. Though State Health Secretary Dr P Senthil Kumar ordered all medical college deans in August and instructions were also issued by the Director of Medical Education to expedite payments, many doctors have not got their salaries for months due to alleged delay in reconciling their service records and other issues.
Several doctors are struggling to pay their hostel and mess fee, clear electricity bills and meet other personal expenses. “I am depending on my parents for hostel fee and food. Despite repeated requests to college administration, I haven’t received my salary since February,” said a government service PG doctor of a Chennai medical college. The doctors’ salary ranges from Rs 65,000 to Rs 70,000 per month. A PG doctor in Stanley government medical college said of the 77 PG doctors in the college, only three had received their salary till September, and the rest had received salary only till April.”
Dr P Balaji, Dean, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, however, denied the allegation. Stipend has been paid for all non-service PGs till September and most of the service PGs had received their salary till September. There might be two or three cases that need to be verified, Balaji said. According to doctors, the issue is not just with service PGs even for non-service PGs stipend is not being paid regularly. This has been happening for years.
When service doctors move to medical colleges from their old place of work, there will be delay in transferring their last pay slip, employer ID and other details. Though this is now being done online through Integrated Financial and Human Resource Management (IFHRMS), there is still delay in reconciling records, doctors said.
‘15 institutions cleared salary till Sept’
A doctor from districts said, “It is a matter of a few minutes for clerical staff to clear these documents. Of eight service PGs in our college, three didn’t get salary from March and five got salary only for four months,” the doctor said.
Recently, a Sivagangai Medical Colleges PG student shot off a letter to his college dean questioning the delay in paying salaries and said the dean’s office does not have the moral right to ask PGs to pay monthly rent, EB and water charges without paying salary.
After doctors from various districts represented their case to health department officials, Health Secretary Dr P Senthilkumar on August 3 sent a letter to the Director of Medical Education, Director of Medical and Rural Health Services, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and deans. “All deans should ensure that stipend is paid within two days and update the status to the DME.
In respect of service PGs all deputy directors and joint directors of health services should ensure that joining report is send within two days through email and hardcopy within 5-7 days,” the health secretary had said in his letter. He had also instructed the heads of institutions to ensure that this process is completed within a week every year and on or before August 10 this year without fail.
Meanwhile, speaking to TNIE, Dr R Narayana Babu, Director of Medical Education, said, “Many major institutions like Coimbatore Medical College, Madurai Medical College, Tirunelveli Medical College, and nearly 15 institutions have cleared their salary till September.
Only a few cases are pending. We have already sent a circular to all deans, instructing them to clear the dues immediately. But some medical colleges are still facing this issue. We will instruct them again. Sometimes salaries get delayed due to delay in sharing of old employment details by some doctors,” he said.