Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 19: Bureaucratic hurdles coupled with delay in release of funds has cost retired doctors engaged under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) dearly. They have been rendering services at various hospitals but are without salary for the last six to ten months.
Specialist doctors informed Early Times that they were engaged under NRHM and have been rendering their services in various hospitals including districts and at directorate of Health Jammu. "Our salary is to be given by Directorate of Health but the funds are provided by NRHM authorities", doctors said, adding that due to delay in releasing of funds and delay on part of authorities to pursue the case, they have been denied regular salary.
A doctor pleading anonymity said that their salary of last nearly ten months was pending with the department. "Nearly 100 specialist doctors and other staff engaged in Non Communicable Diseases Programme (NCDP) and Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme (IDSP) are also without salaries for the last nearly six to ten months", they said.
"Most of specialist doctors are retired, who have joined the services again under NRHM but ever since we had joined the department, we seldom got regular monthly salary", the doctor said, adding that due to pending salaries, they were on verge of leaving the job, as their whole monthly budget got disturbed, and the pension has been supplementing the budget.
The doctor further said that whenever they asked for salaries to concerned Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) or heads of hospitals, they expressed helplessness and gave excuse of no funds.
Criticizing the attitude of Health department as well as NRHM authorities, the doctors further said that apart from Jammu and Kashmir, the specialist doctors engaged in other states have been getting regular wages, besides their salary was also revised. "The salary of doctors in other states engaged under scheme has been revised from Rs. 48,000 per month to above Rs. 60,000, but in Jammu a specialist doctor is still getting Rs. 48,000 per month and that too intermittently", he rued.
The doctors said that already the doctors dithered to opt for NRHM job after retirement, as in private practice handsome amount was earned. "If the attitude of Government would remain same, the NRHM will fail in J&K", he said.
Director Health PS Pathania said that the first installment of funds from NRHM for the financial year 2014-15 was received by department, following which salary of few months to doctors was released. He accepted that few months' salary, was pending and added that the new installment of funds was likely to get by health department, after which the remaining salary would be released.
Mission Director NRHM, Dr. Yashpal Sharma was not available for comments as his phone was switched off. |
