| With exception to Minister's block, ISM doctors in Rajouri not paid for months | | |
Akshay Azad
Jammu, Oct 11: The discriminatory attitude of Health Minister could be well gauged from a recent revelation that ISM doctors engaged under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) working in various blocks of district Rajouri are without salaries for the last four months, except those fortunate ones posted in block of Health Minister Shabir Ahmed Khan.
Sources informed Early Times that out of total 400 doctors working under NRHM in district Rajouri, around 40 doctors were engaged under Indian System of Medicines (ISM), but have been facing tough time due to non-payment of their salaries for the last four months. These ISM doctors are engaged in block Kalakote, Kandi, Dral, Nowshera, Sunderbani and Manjakote of district Rajouri, but except Manjakote block, which is represented by Health Minister, Shabir Ahmed Khan, all ISM doctors working in other blocks have been making rounds of concerned offices for their salaries.
They further informed that the discrimination with ISM doctors of other blocks could be well gauged from the fact that the incentives given to ISM doctors under NRHM have not been paid to the doctors except those in Manjakote block.
"The ISM doctors working in Manjakote block have been paid incentives of 12 months, but the doctors working in other blocks have been paid only for six months", sources said.
While castigating the concerned Minister, an ISM doctor said that to make goodwill among people of his constituency, he has been disbursing salaries and incentives to doctors working there but was least bothered about others.
"One can easily imagine the condition of a doctor, who is without salary for the last four months in the era of huge inflation rate. We are managing our family affairs by taking debt from relatives", he rued, adding that it was really embarrassing for them. Officiating Chief Medical Officer Rajouri, while admitting the non-payment of salaries to NRHM doctors said that they have not received funds for payment of salaries to these doctors. "The higher officials have assured that three months salary will be released within coming days", he said. |
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