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Our Correspondent
Kohima, May 29 (EMN): Nagaland government had recruited 94 medical officers along with 14 junior specialists in December last year to assist the department of Health and Family Welfare as the state was reeling under the shortage of manpower in health centres and facilities.
However, it has emerged that the salaries of these medical doctors assigned for Covid-19 duties are allegedly not paid on time.
An aggrieved doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, told Eastern Mirror that they were appointed in December last year and assigned for Covid-19 related activities in various districts. But they received their salaries for the first time after a prolonged gap of four-five months.
'After confronting lots of pressure, some of us received our salary after four months and some five months, in the first week of April this year,' said the doctor.
He claimed they have been reaching out to the Health and Family Welfare department on this issue ‘but it has become obvious that all their appeals will go in vain’.
'Every time we approach the department, they only keep telling us to come later, so we are now helpless,' he sighed.
"We have been performing our duties at Covid-19 hospitals and the least the government can do is give us our salary on time as they give to others," said the frontline worker.
He said that they are being treated unfairly despite executing their responsibilities at the Covid-19 hospitals, adding that ‘many of the members are having harrowing times’.
'Everyone is not the same and we need our salaries for our requirements. Some of us have families while many of us have been posted to different places across the state,' he shared.
It was also learnt that these healthcare workers might get their salaries late again as they were allegedly ‘told to come after two-three months since they had been newly recruited’.
‘The same trend is going on even this time too. It has been already 59 days without our salary,’ the doctor informed.
Terming the non-payment of salaries as "unethical", he expressed apprehension that they might continue to be deprived of their salaries for another three-four months again.
'Many of us are posted in different districts and many also have families and children. We have to send money for the family’s monthly expenditure to buy essential commodities whether through online or any other alternative means during the lockdown,' he said.
While informing that regular doctors get their monthly salary at least before the 10th day of every month, as is the case of most government servants, he wondered why they (newly recruited doctors) were being denied their timely salaries.
'We are unhappy because we are only asking our salary out of the service we have been rendering though we may be on contract basis,' he shared.
As they perform duties at Covid-19 hospitals along with others, the doctor reiterated that the least the government can do is pay their salaries on time during such trying times.
Meanwhile, officials from the department of Health and Family Welfare and the National Health Missions passed the buck to each other on the matter when this newspaper contacted them for clarification on the allegation.