Resident doctors of 3 Centre-run hospitals in Delhi protest in solidarity with agitating colleagues

Resident doctors of three Centre-run hospitals here held symbolic protests on Tuesday to express solidarity with the agitating doctors of hospitals run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation over non-payment of salary.

Resident doctors of Safdarjung Hospital and RML Hospital sported black ribbons in protest, while medics at Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital observed a symbolic pen-down protest for two hours in all wards barring those dedicated for COVID-19 patients and emergency services.

Senior doctors at the North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run hospitals went on an indefinite strike on Tuesday, a day after they had gone on casual leave en masse over their pending salaries.

"We strongly condemn the insensitive nature of competent authorities of the Hindu Rao Hospital, Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, and Rajan Babu TB Hospital and extend our support to our fellow resident doctors. In this COVID-19 pandemic, the least that can be done for frontline warriors is to pay their most deserving dues.

"Safdarjung resident doctors held a black ribbon symbolic protest over non-payment of salary to doctors of these hospitals," said Dr Manish, the president of Safdarjung Hospital RDA.

Dr Sunil Duchania, the president of Resident Doctors' Association at Lady Hardinge Medical College and Associated Hospitals, confirmed, "We observed a two-hour-pen-down symbolic protest in non-COVID and non-emergency areas in support of the agitating resident doctors of North MCD-run hospitals. Resident doctors posted in COVID-19 wards continued their work."

"Non-payment and irregular payment of salaries has been a regular problem with MCD hospitals. It is disheartening that even after directions of the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court, resident doctors of these hospitals were not paid salaries for four months and they had to resort to symbolic protests and demonstrations from October 5 onwards.... We urge upon all the concerned authorities to resolve the issue," the Resident doctors' Association of RML Hospital said in a statement on Monday.

Maruti Sinha, the general secretary of the Municipal Corporation Doctors' Association (MCDA), said, "Our demands, which include release of pending salaries for the last three months, have not been met, so we are now on an indefinite strike".

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