'I have used up all my savings,' says hospital doctor with no salary

More than 50 private doctors who had been told to report for COVID19 duty at SevenHills Hospital by the civic body in June have alleged that they are yet to receive their salaries While some of them work with private hospitals and had taken leave many others had to shut down their private practices and have been without income for the past two monthsNone of the authorities were aware of who was supposed to pay them But while doctors said they havent received any money the additional municipal commissioner said the issue has been resolved A few doctors have claimed that they have lakhs in salary owed to themSome of the doctors had volunteered their services PicGetty ImagesOne of the doctors who worked at Seven Hills Hospital between June 12July 9 said he is still waiting for his salary amounting to R2 lakh When they asked us to report for COVID duty they gave us less than 24 hours and I was able to take leave from the hospital I work at But when it comes to payment of the salary there is no clarity They told us that there was some issue with vendor registration and then said that the payment will be made in two instalments he saidA delay is expectedAnother doctor who completed his degree in Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery BHMS and is working at Seven Hills Hospital since June 12 said that he had to shut his clinic in Kandivli I have to pay a rent of R24000 for my clinic besides personal expenses I have used up all my savings and since I am the only earning member of my family I need the salary to support them he said He added that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC owes him R12 lakh for two monthsSuresh Kakani AMCSome of the doctors including a 28yearold general surgeon from Pune despite being discouraged by her parents had volunteered Since my exams were postponed I thought I should help out in Mumbai where there was a need for doctors Since a government body is involved a delay is expected she said She added that she worked from June 3 till July 7 and is yet to receive R2 lakhA senior civic official said 58 of 108 asked to report for duty at Seven Hills Hospital had eventually joined While BHMS doctors are to be paid R60000 MBBS doctors are to be paid R80000 and MD doctors R200000 on a monthly basisAlso Read80 per cent of private practice doctors contracted COVID19No one has a clueNone of the authorities were aware of who was responsible for the payments Dr Balkrishna Adsul the dean at Seven Hills Hospital said that payment is handled by the civic bodys public health department But a senior official from the health department said Since the doctors were appointed for Seven Hills Hospital their salaries would have to be taken care of by its management or the K East ward officePrashant Sapkale assistant commissioner of K East ward said that the ward office is not dealing with the doctors Despite doctors claims that they havent received any money Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani however said the issue has been resolved The payment was supposed to be released by K East ward the bills were to be released by the Seven Hills Hospital The amount has been transferred to different bank accounts he said58Total no of doctors awaiting salary for work at SevenHillsRs 80kWhat MBBS doctors are supposed to be paidRs 60kWhat BHMS doctors are supposed to be paidRs 2 lakhWhat MD doctors should be paid for their servicesKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news