Seeking pending salaries for the last two months, consultant specialists at Miri Piri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research here went on a one-day mass leave today to protest the delay.
Due to the mass leave, OPDs remained closed. However, emergency, IPD, and on-call services continued to function.
Not only the doctors but also nursing staff and other employees have threatened to go on strike from next week if salaries are not cleared soon.
Contractual employees said they would reconsider contract renewals as they cannot afford salary delays. Meanwhile, construction of the college building has also stopped due to pending dues to the contractor.
An institute official said nearly 600 patients visit the OPDs daily. Despite not receiving salaries, doctors attended over 13,500 patients in OPDs and performed more than 300 surgeries last month. After the Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled in favour of Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), its leaders visited the hospital and publicly announced that HSGMC would take over the institute.
However, no formal takeover has taken place so far. Since HSGMC claimed ownership, SGPC has stopped releasing funds for the institute. As a result, payments to other vendors and contractors are also pending, the official said.
The doctors had submitted a memorandum to HSGMC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda last month and were told a meeting would be held to resolve the issues. However, like previous committee meetings, the members did not turn up and no decision was taken. After receiving no response from the president, the doctors decided to go on mass leave.
According to information, there are around 400 employees, including 40 doctors. The hospital’s monthly salary bill is around Rs 1.7 crore. The institute requires a budget of about Rs 104 crore for construction work and Rs 20 crore to run the hospital smoothly for the current financial year.
Sandeep Inder Singh Cheema, CEO of Miri Piri Institute, said, “Uncertainty prevails among doctors and other staff due to pending salaries. The matter was taken up with HSGMC president, but the issue remains unresolved. I have requested the doctors to resume services. All efforts are being made to ensure smooth functioning of the hospital.”
While HSGMC president could not be contacted, HSGMC leader and Trust working group member Baldev Singh Kaimpur said, “The ongoing dispute among some leaders and lack of adequate budget have started affecting the functioning of Miri Piri Hospital. HSGMC’s executive body members should take a decision soon so that healthcare services are not affected.”
Meanwhile, Secretary of Miri Piri Trust, Sukhminder Singh, said, “HSGMC leaders earlier wanted to take over the institute forcefully, but now they are not coming forward to take responsibility. SGPC had been managing the hospital and providing adequate budget for healthcare services, but after the court’s order, it is now HSGMC’s duty to financially support the institute. If HSGMC has no funds to run the facility, it should give it in writing, and SGPC will resume support for Miri Piri Institute.”
