300 specialist doctors go without pay for 5 months

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 13

Already facing a shortage of specialist doctors, the Health Department has failed to pay salaries to newly recruited doctors for over five months.

The Health Department had last year recruited around 300 specialist doctors across the state. The state government, in the appointment letters, had said they would be paid as per relevant level in the 7th Central pay scale. However, the authorities didn’t clarify about the corresponding allowances of the level of scale, which is said to be the reason for the delay in releasing the salaries.

The specialist doctors have already made several requests to the State Health Department to release their salaries at the earliest. A doctor said, “It has already been five months but we don’t know when we will get our salaries. This sort of administrative failure is the reason that specialists stay away from the government sector.”

Another specialist, who has already written to the Civil Surgeon over the issue, said they had been getting higher salaries in the private sector. “It is humiliating that we have to plead to the government for our salaries,” he said.

Dr GB Singh, Director, Health and Family Welfare, said there was lack of clarity on allowances of specialist doctors. Consequently, they had to send the file concerned to the Finance Department. He said, “As soon as we get clarity over the allowances, salaries will be released.”

Finance dept to clarify

• The state government, in the appointment letters, had said the specialist doctors would be paid as per relevant level in the 7th Central pay scale
• n However, the authorities didn’t clarify about the corresponding allowances of the level of scale
• Dr GB Singh, Director, Health and Family Welfare, said there was lack of clarity on allowances of specialist doctors
• “We have sent the file concerned to the Finance Department. As soon as we get clarity over the allowances, salaries will be released,” he said