Resentment is brewing among the doctors working on contract in the Associated Hospital of Doon Medical College (DMC) as they have not received salaries from last three months. It is learnt that the Senior Residents (SR) and Junior Residents (JR) of the medical college are so annoyed that they have threatened to go on a strike if the pending salary is not released soon.
The DMC employed large number of doctors on teaching and other posts recently on contract to fulfill the requirement of Medical Council of India (MCI). The associated hospital of DMC also has doctors of Provincial Medical Service; these doctors are continuing to receive salaries as they are on rolls of health department.
It is learnt that the salary obligation of the DMC per month is Rs1.71 crores and it had received a budget of Rs1.99 crores only in this financial year. The delay in arrival of the budget and its skewed appropriation is the cause of non payment of salaries.
The associated hospital of DMC has five Professors, 14 Associate Professors, 30 Assistant Professors, 16 SR and 37 JR. The DMC has recruited Professors on a fixed monthly salary of Rs1.23 lakh, Associate Professor on Rs1.10 lakh and Assistant Professor on Rs95,000. Similarly the SR is employed on a salary of Rs65,000 while the pay of JR is Rs47,000. “In absence of salaries we are finding it hard to support our families. We had decided to go on a strike on the issue but we were persuaded by the Principal against it. He had assured us that he is taking up the matter on highest level,’’ said one of a JR of DMC.
The Medical Superintendent (MS) of the DMC hospital Dr KK Tamta accepted that the salaries of the doctors on contract are not disbursed. He said that the DMC has sent a letter to the Government for re-appropriation of the budget.