'Hotel staff told us to pay Rs 10,000 per bed if we want to stay'

Three of the doctors who were told to shift to Powai

Four doctors from the team from Kerala were suddenly told by the hotel they were staying at to pay Rs 10,000 tariff per bed, per day on Saturday, then moved to a hotel in Powai without prior intimation. Also, the BEST bus service that used to ferry them to and from SevenHills Hospital was also stopped

The confusion began when the BEST bus did not turn up at the hospital. One of them contacted the driver and was told that the service has been stopped.

Also Read: As hero Kerala doctors finish stint in Mumbai, BMC yet to pay them

Only a handful of the doctors and staff nurses from Kerala are in Mumbai now

The doctor, who did not wish to be named, told mid-day, "One of us, who was to be on duty that day, contacted the hospital and was advised by the in-charge to take a cab instead and others were asked to proceed to Renaissance Hotel in Powai. The next day, one of us left for Kerala and now, three of us male doctors are left. The 26 staff nurses are staying in a hospital hostel."

"At The Lalit, we were informed by the staff on Saturday morning that if we wish to continue our stay, we will have to pay Rs 10,000 tariff per bed, every day. This came as a surprise since we were still waiting for our salaries back then. And then the stopping of the bus service created panic," said the doctor.

Also Read: COVID-19: Kerala doctors make abrupt exit from Mumbai

The team at SevenHills Hospital during their stint. File pic

"Of the 40 doctors that had come, 37 have left for Kerala. For the handful of doctors who are still here, the least they could have done was inform us earlier," the doctor added.

Dr Santosh Kumar, the team leader, who is in Thiruvananthapuram, said, "Lack of effective communication led to the confusion and moreover, the boys were not having enough money to continue staying at The Lalit. Therefore, they shifted to the Renaissance Hotel where doctors from SevenHills are already staying."

Docs paid, 4 nurses left
On Tuesday, the 40 doctors from the team were an excited bunch as they received one month's salary. "I am happy that at last, I got my salary for June. I am waiting for my reimbursements (air travel and local travel) which I am told should be cleared soon," said a doctor.

Dr Aneesh Raj, an intensivist, who is in quarantine in Kerala, said he too received his salary on Tuesday.

Four of the 26 nurses are still waiting though. One of them said, "I had Rs 5,000 in my bank account when I left Kerala for Mumbai. Today my bank balance is Rs 36. My brother, who was in Kuwait, lost his job and is in Kollam, my hometown in Kerala. Once I get the salary, I need to send some money home or else it will be difficult for them to meet their daily expenses."

Another staff nurse, who hails from Kottayam, said, "My husband is without a job and my two children are very young. I was trying for a job as a staff nurse in Saudi Arabia, and my papers were being processed, when the lockdown happened. I quit my job in Delhi and returned to Kerala when I was approached with the Mumbai job offer. With 10 years of experience, I preferred to take up this job as sitting at home, with no money in hand, was very difficult."

"We hope the staff nurses who wish to serve at SevenHills for a longer period continue to get paid on time, just like other staffers so that they do not face hardships," said Dr Kumar.

'We will be jobless here'
The doctors who have returned to Kerala are anxious about their future as many continue to be in quarantine and with COVID-19 cases increasing in the state. Most of them had already been without jobs as private hospitals have been taken over by the government to handle COVID-19 cases.

"The patient inflow in private hospitals has drastically come down in the past few months due to COVID-19. This has resulted in pay cuts and job loss for many doctors working in private set-ups," a doctor said.

Rs 10,000
Amount hotel is telling docs to pay per bed, per day

40
Total no. of doctors that had come from Kerala

The Lalit says...

The Lalit near the airport. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

An official at The Lalit told mid-day, "The hotel only deals with BMC for reservation and does not communicate with the doctors." Dr Balkrishna Adsul, dean of SevenHills COVID Centre said, "There was no point in sending a BEST bus to pick and drop only three doctors from The Lalit so we shifted them to Renaissance hotel where SevenHills doctors are already staying."

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