Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday took to social media and announced one month’s additional salary to doctors and medical workers employed during the second surge of Covid-19 pandemic.
In his post, Soren said, “In these troubled times, Corona warriors are working day and night. Therefore, the state government has decided that doctors and medical workers employed in Covid-related works will be paid one month of their salary as encouragement money.”
इस विकट काल में कोरोना योद्धा दिन-रात मेहनत कर लोगों की सेवा में लगे हुए हैं। इसलिए राज्य सरकार ने फैसला लिया है कि कोविड कार्यों में लगे चिकित्साकर्मियों और चिकित्सकों को एक महीने के वेतन/मानदेय के बराबर प्रोत्साहन राशि दी जाएगी।
सभी कोरोना योद्धाओं को मेरा धन्यवाद और जोहार।— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) April 26, 2021
The announcement has come at a time when Jharkhand is seeing more than 100 deaths per day with more than 45,000 total active cases.
However, the announcement means ‘nothing’ to frontline health workers who have been running from pillar to post to get their salaries as well as their incentives.
Jharkhand AIDS Control Society Employees Association General Secretary Rana Chandan Singh, who currently works as a lab technician in Gumla district collecting and testing Covid-19 samples, said that salaries have not been paid for the past three months.
He added: “The announcement means nothing if our salaries are not paid in these troubled times.”
Ranchi Sadar Hospital, which employ 50 community health officers (CHO) from different blocks as nurses, is reeling with problems as many nurses have gone on a strike over non-payment of incentives. The CHOs are given monthly incentive of Rs 15,000 over their salaries.
Deputy Medical Superintendent Sabasychi Mandal said: “The CHOs have been demanding their due and I think it has been pending for the past six months.”
Mandal said that the situation in Sadar hospital is ‘not good’ as there are only ‘two doctors’ per shift for 30 patients. He added: “We need 1-17kg oxygen cylinders per day, but we get only half of the amount. This is creating chaos at the hospital as we are not being able to give oxygen with full flow to the patients.”
