Salary Issue: Resident doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital on mass casual leave, threaten indefinite strike

Their demands included the release of all pending salaries from December 2020, along with the previous year's arrears, immediately, the RDA said in a letter dated March 17, written to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation's commissioner.

In the statement issued late at night on Wednesday, the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) threatened that its members will go on a complete indefinite strike if the demands are not met.

This is an "intimation regarding mass casual leave on March 19, followed by a complete indefinite strike from March 22, if all salaries with arrears are not released along with interest and regular seat vacancies are not issued at the earliest", the letter read.

Also Read: Not paid since 106 days: Hindu Rao doctors to go on strike

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, the decision to go on strike and take mass casual leave was taken at a general body meeting of the Municipal Corporation Doctors' Association on Monday.

However, the issue of pending salaries for the Hindu Rao medicos is not a new one. Medical Dialogues team had reported in September last month that the resident doctors of the hospital had planned to go on a strike over their salaries not being paid for three months. On September 23, the Resident Doctor's Association had issued a statement and threatened to go on an "indefinite protest" till their demands were unmet.

Following this, Hindu Rao Hospital faced the wrath of the National Board of Examinations (NBE), after the board warned the administration of the hospital of withdrawing accreditation if the facility does not immediately release the pending stipend to the ''Diplomate of National Board'' (DNB) trainees.

Also Read: NBE cracks whip on Hindu Rao hospital for non-payment of salaries, threatens accreditation withdrawal

However, since the situation did not change much, the resident doctors, in a letter, addressed to the Additional Commissioner of Health North MCD has discussed the issue once again. The letter dated, March 11, 2021, mentioned, "We are again been pushed to a position of stand-down due to the lack of administration to fulfil our basic rights and rectify our priority requirements."

"We as part of the advancing Healthcare System of India, deserve to be renumerated for our duties and services and it should be a moral obligation of the employer to consider paying the wages" added the letter.

Mentioning that the 4-month-delay in releasing salaries was causing a serious imbalance in the working atmosphere of the hospitals, the letter further stated, "the residents feel betrayed by the authorities and are unanimously considering resigning or going for an indefinite strike."

The concern is now being circulated on social media platforms. Tweeting about the issue, ANI writtes, "Delhi's NDMC Medical College & Hindu Rao Hospital doctors to go on mass casual leave today. This will be followed by a complete indefinite strike from March 22, in the wake of non-payment of salaries and arrears to resident doctors and DNB trainees: Resident Doctors Association."

The Hindu Rao Hospital Residents have also tweeted about the matter. One such tweet mentioned, "In Oct 2020, we were unpaid 4 almost 136 days which led to a protest & after lots of turmoil we were paid our salaries. It's happening yet again & again we r unpaid for 120days+ Why is NDMC so apathetic towards its doctors?"