Delhi: In an unexpected event, as many as 31 junior residents employed at the COVID facility centre of Ram Leela Ground for a tenure of 3 months suddenly received their termination letter today.
The Medical Director of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital issued an order disengaging some of the newly appointed junior doctors from their respective duties with immediate effect. In response, the junior doctors alleged that they were not given any prior intimation or notice regarding their disposal.
Almost 140 Junior Residents with MBBS qualifications were recruited purely on per day per shift basis to work at the temporarily established 500 bedded covid facility located at Ram Leela Ground, GTB Enclave, Delhi. Most of these doctors already joined by 13th or 14th May.
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Narrating the ordeal, one of the Junior Doctors, Dr Nitin Bagari told , "Authorities hired us junior doctors at the COVID facility of Ram Leela Ground for 3 months. I joined the facility on 12th May and have been diligently serving all my duties. Today, when I tried to give my attendance, I was informed that I could not do so due to the directions of higher authorities. I returned and then got notice where almost 31 of us newly appointed Junior doctors got discharged from our duties suddenly and were asked to go home."
When asked about the reason behind the authorities' decision, the doctor further added, "I don't know the real reason but they can't just disengage us and ask us to go home suddenly now that the number of COVID victims has decreased a bit, especially when they employed us for 3 months. What about all the difficulties that we had to encounter to join the duty here?" He also stated that they have approached the MS of the facility and the concerned nodal officer with the issue; however, no resolution has been made yet.
Another junior doctor informed, "First on Saturday, Mr Satendra Jain came and we all try to clarify the issue regarding the night shift whether it would be counted as double shift or not, as ideally it should be counted as double shift because next day is wasted but they said they will pay just for the no of hours worked; then yesterday, on Sunday, there is this news that JRs would be terminated and but there was no confirmation. When we tried to confirm the news, authorities instructed us to keep coming to work as there was no official confirmation. Now they are saying that it is official and no need to stay and you can go back home."