DHADING, June 21: Eleven medics including doctors hired on contract at the Dhading District Hospital do not remember the last time they collected their salaries. In fact they have been working without pay for the past 11 months.
Sabina Sitaula, one of the doctors at the district hospital, which is based at Dhadingbesi, the district headquarters, said she has been managing her household expenses by borrowing loans from relatives.
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“It has been a year since we have not been paid our salaries. Life has been very difficult. Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches,” said Sitaula, adding, “We have repeatedly requested the hospital administration, hospital board and the provincial health ministry in both in speech and writing to resolve our problem, but nothing has been done so far.”
Recently, these eleven medics including three dentists and one nursing official submitted an application to the chief of the district hospital demanding payment of their salaries by Saturday or face protest. They have mentioned in the letter that, if not paid by Saturday, they would stop work from Sunday.
The hospital services have already been affected for a long time in lack of enough doctors, equipment and medicines.
Mahendra Dhamal, chairman of the Hospital Management Committee said they have repeatedly asked the health ministry and the health department to provide funds to pay the medics, but in vain. “The non-payment of salaries has become a huge problem. While some have been deprived of salaries for 11 months, some have not been paid since five months,” said Dhamala.
