Senior North MCD docs call for mass leave, indefinite strike

New Delhi, Oct 24 : Perturbed with the allegedly callous approach of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (North MCD) in resolving the issue of pending salaries of the healthcare workers coming under its ambit, the senior doctors of the corporation employed at six hospitals have decided to go for a mass leave on Monday, followed by an indefinite strike if their demands are not met.
“We have taken the following unanimous decisions to protest against non-payment of our salaries for the past 3 months: Total strike for indefinite period of all senior doctors from Tuesday, if salaries of all doctors including resident doctors are not released by Monday and a permanent solution like handing over MCD Health Services to Central Government is not decided,” the Municipal Corporation Doctors Association (MCDA) said.
The move is set to disrupt the services including emergency of over six hospitals falling under the aegis of North MCD. Dr Maruti Singh, general secretary of MCDA told IANS that no senior doctor would man the services including emergency. “However, they (North MCD)) are free to call doctors from other hospitals but we would not render our services,” she added.
The association stated that the authorities would be solely responsible for inconvenience caused by the strike.
“The authorities are to be held solely responsible for this unprecedented strike, as they are neither bothered about their doctors -so called ‘Corona warriors’, nor are they concerned about the patients and general public who are suffering for no fault of theirs,” they said.
The decision was taken in a general body meeting of MCDA held on Saturday with the resident doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital. The association said that the indifference attitude by authorities and ministries have forced them to take the step of calling for the strike.