New Delhi: Nurses at Kasturba Hospital started protesting against the non-payment of their salaries, on Monday. The hospital that comes under North DMC has been witnessing numerous protests regarding the pending salaries of healthcare workers.
The nurses' union of the hospital said nurses had not received their salaries since June and has now begun a daily, two hour silent protest. A 450-bed facility in Delhi's walled city area, the Kasturba Hospital is one of the largest maternity hospitals in Asia with 350 beds set aside for Gynaecology and Obstetrics.
"The staff will take turns to participate so that emergency services are not affected in such a huge crisis," a nurse from the hospital said.
The hospital in the recent months has seen numerous resignations from healthcare workers. "I left the hospital two months back due to the salary. It is really sad to see the nurses going through this. This is the major reason I and many others resigned," a resident doctor formerly associated with the hospital told Millennium Post.
Another resident doctor echoed the same sentiments and said she was forced to take the decision as the condition became difficult. "It became difficult to sustain the COVID and there was no solace from the administration as well," she added. Despite writing numerous letters, the authorities have not paid any heed to them.
"Even after the court's order, we were not given our salaries. We have been protesting for this same issue for months and it is never ending and now here we are again," a nurse said, adding that she cannot even afford to resign at this
moment.
On the other hand, doctors at the hospital had received two months' salary after the Supreme Court had stepped in and directed that all health workers across the country should be given salaries. However, there is no clarity on the salary that is still pending. The officials at the North MCD meanwhile responded by saying, "We are working on the situation."