Hindu Rao doctors threaten to boycott duty from February 27 over non payment of salaries

The doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital, which is run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), previously went on a pen-down strike on February 6 over unpaid dues and other longstanding issues, including the unavailability of safe drinking water and clean toilets with a working flush. 

Also Read:No Salaries, No Drinking water: Delhi's Hindu Rao, Rajan Babu doctors call off strike after Govt's assurance

Protesting doctors of two state-run Hindu Rao Hospital and Rajan Babu hospital previously temporarily called off their strike after the authorities released salaries till December. The association already gave an ultimatum stating that the pending salary for January and February must be released at the earliest or they will resume their agitation. The association has now issued a call saying its members will withdraw from all elective services from February 27 over unpaid salaries and other issues.

The association has submitted a letter to the Medical Superintendent of Hindu Rao stating, "As you are well aware that we resident doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital and North Delhi Municipal medical college did a pen down protest on 6 Feb 2023 from 9 am to 11 am to demands our unpaid salary and other issues related to working conditions like nonavailability of drinking water, clean toilets with working flush, lack of bed linen in wards and duty doctor rooms. Our demands were met with a favourable response from hospital administration and our 2 months salary till 15 December was paid which brought much needed immediate relief. Thus we suspended our protests for 10 days."

"But now, our salary till Jan 15, 2023, is still unpaid and we have not seen any concrete steps towards systemic reform in saLary disbursal and regularisation. Doctors and patients, hospital staff still have to buy expensive bottled water from outside. And our toilets still remain unrepaired," the letter added.

The association has already submitted a notice of withdrawal of all resident doctors from all elective services from 27/02/2023 onwards. The doctors demanded a permanent solution to the problem of chronically irregular and delayed salary disbursal and working conditions that are plaguing the welfare of resident doctors and patient care in this hospital. 

“This was to raise demand for the unpaid salaries and other issues related to working conditions such as non-availability of drinking water, clean toilets with working flush, and lack of bed linen in the wards and duty doctor rooms,” said a member of the HRH’s Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) on Monday.

“Our demands were met with a favourable response from the hospital administration and our two months’ salary till December 15 was paid which brought much-needed immediate relief. Thus, we suspended our protests for 10 days. But now, our salary till Jan 15, 2023, is still unpaid and we have not seen any concrete steps towards systemic reform in salary disbursal and regularisation,” the association said.

The RDA has also alleged that doctors, hospital staff, and patients have to buy “expensive bottled water from outside” and that its toilets have “not been repaired”. It added in the letter dated February 18 that they want a “permanent solution” to the problem of chronically irregular and delayed salary disbursal” and working conditions that are plaguing the welfare of resident doctors and patient care in the hospital.

The demands include-

1. Payment of due salary till Jan 15, 2023, timely payment of salary till Feb 15, and regular and timely payment of salaries going forward. Clearing unpaid arrears.

2. End of the exploitative 44 days contract culture and more regular/permanent positions.

3. Clean hygienic drinking water accessible to patients, their attendants and healthcare providers on every floor of every building of the hospital where patients care happen.

4. Basic humane working conditions that include -- Availability of bedsheets for patient beds and for duty rooms of health care providers. -Hygienic toilets with a functional flush for patients and healthcare providers working in hospitals.

5. Lockers in duty doctors rooms and changing rooms to prevent theft.

6. Removal of exploitative clauses from joining affidavits that serve the sole purpose of victimizing doctors demanding their rights.