SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 7: The indefinite pen-down strike of Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad is all set to continue further as the state health department has reportedly rejected the proposal of superintendent Dr AK Barnwal on technical grounds.
Sources said that at the monthly review meeting of principals/superintendents of the five medical colleges held on November 4 at Ranchi, the strike of SNMMCH senior residents was also discussed.
SNMMCH superintendent Dr Arun Kumar Baranwal reportedly sought permission to pay the pending honorarium of senior residents from other funds of the hospital till the government allotment is released.
But sources said that Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Health Arun Kumar Singh rejected the proposal of Dr Baranwal saying that using another fund in salary (honorarium ) payment would land both of them in jail. He said to wait for the allotment from the health department.
Since the process of government allotment takes a long time, the strike of senior residents is all set to go long.
Notably, senior residents of SNMMCH Dhanbad have been on indefinite pen-down strike since November 2 for payment of their honorarium which is pending for five months. They have completely boycotted the OPD and Indoor services since then.
They only attend their emergency duty and have announced also a boycott of it from November 10 if the state government did not release the allotment by November 9.
The hospital has massive funds stored in different accounts. In the past hospital, management had used funds from other means in crisis and deposited the amount as soon as allotment of state government came.
In 2014, hospital management used funds from other accounts in honorarium payments when senior residents resorted to strike. The then health minister late Rajendra Prasad Singh permitted the hospital to use the fund of the Trauma Centre for time being in honorarium payment to senior residents.
Taking past experience, superintendent Dr Barnwal put up the proposal for permission of using another fund at a meeting on November 2 to sort out the crisis.
Due to the strike, patients and students in several departments are facing a crisis. In some departments, a doctor has to attend classes, OPD and indoor services. A senior professor said that of course one doctor can discharge all responsibility in an emergency for one or two days but it is not possible to do for a week or month.
The health department is not serious to sort out the crisis being faced by hospitals due to the senior residents’ strike.
