On Tuesday, resident doctors from the 3 Centre-run hospitals held symbolic protests to express their solidarity with the agitating doctors of hospitals that are run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) for the non-payment of salary. Resident doctors of RML Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital wore black ribbons in protest, where as doctors at Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital (LHMCH) did a symbolic pen-down protest for 2 hours in all wards except for those dedicated for COVID-19 patients and emergency services.

On Tuesday, the senior doctors at the North MCD run hospitals had gone on an indefinite strike, just a day after all had gone on casual leave en masse for their pending salaries.

Dr Manish, the president of Safdarjung Hospital RDA said that they strongly condemn the insensitive behaviour of experienced authorities of the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, Hindu Rao Hospital and Rajan Babu TB Hospital and have extended their support to the fellow resident doctors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the frontline warriors should be paid their most justified dues.

The president of Resident Doctors Association, LHMCH, Dr Sunil Duchania, also said that they observed a 2-hour-pen-down symbolic protest in non-COVID and non-emergency areas for supporting the agitating resident doctors of North MCD-run hospitals. Resident doctors who are posted in COVID-19 wards continued their work.

On Monday, the Resident doctors Association of RML Hospital said in a statement that non-payment and irregular salaries is a regular problem with MCD hospitals. It is discouraging that even after the instructions given by the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court, the resident doctors were not paid salaries for 4 months and they had to take the route of symbolic protests and demonstrations from 5th October onwards. They urged all the concerned authorities to resolve this issue immediately.

General Secretary, Municipal Corporation Doctors Association (MCDA), Maruti Sinha, said that the demands include release of pending salaries for the last 3 months and therefore they are on an indefinite strike.

MCDA was established in 1974 and has approximately 1200 members. It is an association of permanent senior doctors of the civic hospitals and includes doctors from hospitals that are run by other two municipal corporations also.

Source: ET Healthworld