Patient care in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run peripheral hospitals, maternity homes, and specialised hospitals will be affected from November 1 as the corporation has decided to abolish the posts of doctors and technicians working in these hospitals.
While the decision to abolish the posts was taken in August this year, the doctors found out about the development a week ago during their contract renewal. Close to 1230 doctors and paramedical staff are affected by the decision.
“This letter was regarding scrapping the 1840 posts that were lying vacant for close to three years and majorly included doctors and paramedical staff. What the corporation didn’t take into consideration is though the posts were vacant, we were running the show with the help of doctors on contract,” said a medical superintendent from one of the peripheral hospitals in the western suburb.
The superintendent added that with the abolishment of the posts, the administration is now not renewing the staff recruited for these posts on a contract basis.
According to another superintendent, these doctors and paramedical staff are the backbone of the peripheral hospitals. “Apart from the clinical work, these doctors are taking care of the administrative work also like MJPJY scheme documentation etc. The people getting affected by the decision include doctors, OT attendants, registration assistants, blood transfusion officers, and several other key staff,” said the superintendent.
With the patient load high in these hospitals, the hospital administration has been running from pillar to post to get the letter revoked or at least allow the doctors and staff holding key roles in patient care to continue.
A doctor, who has been affected by the decision called it absurd as the administration did not even bother to check on the grounds and history behind their recruitment.
“BMC had advertised for PG medical officers in 2018 after which many like me applied. MPSC then objected and finally, with all red-tapism around our recruitment, we were onboarded in 2021 on a contractual basis with a promise that we will soon be regularised,” said the doctor.
The doctor added that compared to the regular doctors, they are paid less with no facilities like paid holidays, bonus. “We get only 7 days off in a year. We are working more than others and then this is what we get in the end. Many of us have EMIs to be paid and family to run. We are shocked on how to deal with this,” said the doctor.
According to sources in the BMC health department, this issue arose due to a lack of coordination. Initially, the general administration canceled the posts without consulting the hospitals. The Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) office of suburban hospitals did not have any idea about it. “Reviews are being taken from all hospitals. This proposal should have been prepared earlier, but now it is being done. Promotions of staff have also been delayed. The disorganisation is causing trouble, and in the coming days, both employees and patients may have to suffer as a result,” said a senior health official.
Many of the doctors have been orally informed not to report to work from November while few have been given hope by their seniors that they are trying their best to retain them and should continue the work.
