Doctors, nurses at Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital not paid salaries for three months

Nearly three-and-a-half months after the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital (KCSSH) was inaugurated, super speciality doctors and staff members are yet to be paid their salaries

Nearly three-and-a-half months after the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital (KCSSH) was inaugurated, super speciality doctors and staff members are yet to be paid their salaries. While hospital authorities cite a long-drawn process for mapping employees who had migrated from various hospitals to the new facility for initiating salary disbursal, a section of doctors say a three-month delay is unacceptable.

It was on June 15 that the Chief Minister inaugurated the .1,000-bed facility at Guindy. Doctors, who were posted through a special online transfer counselling held on June 13, were told to join duty the next day. This included those working in hospitals in various districts.

Being a new facility, some doctors anticipated delay in salary payment and were prepared to manage for a month. But there has been no sign of salary even after three months. “We have several financial commitments. This includes house rent, instalments towards loans, medical and household expenses and children’s education. How can we manage without salaries?” asked a doctor. “Whenever we inquire with the hospital administration about payment of salary, they give us many reasons, indirectly indicating that it will be delayed further,” he added.

A number of doctors pointed out that the delay was mainly due to processing for the Integrated Financial and Human Resources Management System (IFHRMS) (Finance Department) that involves provision of DDO (Drawing and Disbursing Officer) Code. “This is a massive task as the details of all staff from different parts of the State should be consolidated. But the code has not come till date and taking three months is definitely not acceptable,” a doctor said.

A doctor said that the inflow of patients to the hospital was more than expected and people from various districts such as Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai were seeking treatment. There is a need for more staff nurses at the hospital. “Creating infrastructure alone is not enough, the government should ensure that there is adequate manpower,” he said.

Sources said that funds for paying the staff recruited on contract basis such as technicians were not released. The State government should intervene to sort out the needs of the healthcare professionals, they said.

Hospital authorities said doctors and staff nurses had migrated from different hospitals to KCSSH. “Unlike earlier when we had manual processing, the system is now digitised through IFHRMS. From the post of the Director to the last staff member, all employees are mapped for a single entry and a code is provided. This processing will take at least two to three months. We had informed staff members when they joined,” an authority said.