Sad that even medicos have to suffer without pay

A doctor from Kerala said some of the staff nurses have been paid, but none of the doctors have been paid as yet, especially not the junior doctors

The front page of this newspaper yesterday had a report stating that a batch of Kerala medics, nurses and doctors who had come to the city to aid in COVID-19 treatment at a hospital in the western suburbs are scheduled to return.

Unfortunately though, these doctors are yet to receive their salaries, and many of them have not been reimbursed for their flight tickets. Some have returned, others are returning in a few days. They have been in the city for little more than a month now.

While authorities have given assurances that the medicos will be paid and the files are moving with the civic authorities, it is regrettable that payments were not made earlier. Communication needs to be clear as to how and when the payment will be made.

It is sad to see that these young professionals at the nation's service have to wait till files are cleared, whenever that may be, though those in charge say it will take two or three days. This at a time when authorities are urging people to be humane and not cut staff salaries, let alone withholding them.

There should have been clear communication about reimbursement of ticket fares as the doctors flew to Mumbai, and communication about salary structure and time frame.

These are professionals who are here to join others at the forefront of the pandemic. They have to see that patients recover and in some way also instil confidence and courage in those battling the virus.

To have them stressed and living in limbo about payments, worried about quarantine costs when they return to Kerala, leads to a mindset that is not conducive to the calm, professional reassurance needed in a medical professional. The money needs to be disseminated immediately and a full and final settlement of any and all reimbursements must be done.

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