Bhilai, Nov 25: Following non payment of salary for the last six to eight months, the nursing and other staff has once again gone on strike at the Apollo BSR Hospital located in Smriti Nagar, Junwani. Even after four days of strike and the doctors joining the agitation, the hospital management has hardly taken any concrete initiatives to resolve the issue. The demonstrators lost their patience on Sunday afternoon and went into hullabaloo mode which resulted in mayhem at the hospital premises making the patients the worst sufferers. In view of the resentment among the agitating staff, the CMD of Apollo BSR Hospital Dr MK Khanduja reached the venue and tried to pacify them by agreeing to disburse one month salary by November 30, but the agitating staff refused to accept this solution and demanded disbursal of at least four months salary latest by Tuesday, i.e. November 27, 2018.
It could be recollected that the nursing staff at Apollo BSR Hospital had gone on strike on April 28, 2018 to protest against what they termed “deliberate” delay in payment of salary. It was only after the CMD had assured on stamp paper to clear all the dues that the staff had ended strike after two days. A three point stamp paper agreement was also signed between the management and staff of BSR Super Specialty Hospital. But at that time no assurance was given to the doctors who have salaries pending for upto 3 years.
The doctors mostly consultant specialists have been working regularly for nearly 10 years at Apollo BSR Hospital, but they have been deprived of regular professional fees since last 3 years. In spite of regular pestering and strike, they have been given false assurances many a times. Only part payments have been done which is a miniscule when compared to the pendency. Now the situation is such that the back log has piled up to many lakhs for each doctor. This would range from 15 lacks to 30 lacks for each doctor. Allegedly, at times few doctors were given PDC cheques which also bounced due to lack of funds. All this time the hospital was doing very good financially and the money was being diverted some where else without anybodies knowledge, informed the doctors. Also, in year 2016 – 17 TDS was deposited but payment was not done to the doctors. For the year 2017 -18 TDS too has not deposited.
The doctors further informed that if they demand for regular payments, the management recruits a new doctor instead with a higher salary, but shows least interest to pay regular professional fee to the existing doctors.
The doctors have already made a complaint to the collector, IG who directed the CMO to take necessary initiative. Collector had even promised that the licence of the hospital would be cancelled but nothing of the sort happened, alleged the doctors. This lack of payment has put financial constraints and stress which is also being reflected on the families, not to forget the patients who are also suffering due to the ever changing doctors. There are times when proper medicines and equipments are not available for which patients had to be referred to other hospitals.
Prominent among the agitating doctors and staff were Dr V Vachani, Dr Bharat Chawda, Dr Khan, Dr Sushant and Moraf, Ankita, Swati, Rajesh as well as a number of technicians, ward boys, nurses, and sanitary workers.