It won’t be wrong to say that it took a pandemic for the world to realise the importance of doctors and health workers.
While some of them were asked to vacate their houses by their societies, others had to work with minimal or no protective equipment in place.
Despite everything, they continue risking their lives daily without complain.
They continue serving us without fail. But it’s sad to see that we aren’t treating them right even now.
Recently, nurses at Kasturba Hospital in Delhi protested against non-payment of their salaries.
According to reports, the last salary they got is from March, which was paid in May.
Speaking to Indian Express, Manju Lata, one of nurses who participated in the protest, said:
For the past four years, salary delay has been a regular feature. But there is a limit to it; we haven’t been paid in three months. Why are we risking our lives if we don’t even get a salary? We are managing our finances by taking credit.
Another nurse, Alka Kaushik, talked about the risks associated during the pandemic. She said:
Several nurses risk their lives going to the hospital every day on public transport… The salary delay has led to me getting a notice from the bank to pay my house loan and credit card bills…
This isn’t the first time the issue of non-payment of salaries has been raised by doctors and nurses in Delhi. Earlier too, paramedical staff and doctors of North MCD’s Hindu Rao Hospital protested against delay in payment of salary.
Just last month, the Supreme Court also took cognizance of the matter and asked the Centre to issue directions to states for payment of salaries to doctors and healthcare workers engaged in treating COVID-19 patients.
Responding to these protests, North MCD Mayor Jai Prakash said that the corporation has halted all expenses and is focusing only on paying salaries of the frontline workers.
It’s time the administration realises that clapping, flowers and diyas won’t help our health care workers feed their families and speeds up the process of payment of their salaries.