<p>Davangere: Health services at the Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences & Teaching Hospital (BRIMS), a major general hospitals in Kalyana Karnataka region, are likely to be hit as over 40 doctors appointed on contract basis were relieved of their duties on Saturday due to a funds crunch.</p>.<p>BRIMS owes each of these doctors, hired around eight years ago, lakhs of rupees as their salaries have been overdue for over seven to eight months. Services at many departments, including radiology, may be hit, leaving patients in the lurch.</p>.<p>One of the doctors told <span class="italic">DH</span> on condition of anonymity that around 40 doctors, many of them with MD and MS degrees, were relieved of their duties without prior intimation.</p>.<p>Some of them received an email in this regard. “We had been serving at BRIMS for the past five to six years. We were not paid on time and each of us is yet to get salary of seven to eight months amounting to Rs 5 lakh. The sudden decision has not only put us in a fix but will leave patients depending on the general hospital in the lurch.”</p>.<p>He said that of the three doctors in the radiology department, two of them had been relieved. With this, the CT and MRI scanning facilities will be disrupted, forcing poor patients to pay exorbitant fees at private medical centres for these services. Patients from various parts of Bidar and neighbouring Telangana and Andhra Pradesh also visit the 750-bed hospital.</p>.<p>Speaking to <span class="italic">DH</span>, BRIMS director Shivkumar Shetkar admitted that the contract-based doctors were not paid for seven to eight months.</p>.<p>“The salary issue would be resolved in three to four days. As the intake has been increased from 150 to 200, we need additional doctors and they would be accommodated. We need to follow the roster and they would be given preference as they are institutional candidates. Recruitments will be done in around 20 days.”</p>.<p>On funds shortage, he said that initially, the state government had directed BRIMS to mobilise funds internally to pay salaries of the contract-based doctors. Now, the government has agreed to give additional funds for their salaries. Once they are selected after the interviews, they would be paid directly by the government, he said.</p>.<p>Cut-off box - Most docs on contract Of the 250 sanctioned posts for doctors only around 100 are permanent. BRIMS had listed contract doctors as its own staff to get permission from National Medical Commission to increase its intake and to start additional PG courses. But now it is facing a staff crunch.</p>
<p>Davangere: Health services at the Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences & Teaching Hospital (BRIMS), a major general hospitals in Kalyana Karnataka region, are likely to be hit as over 40 doctors appointed on contract basis were relieved of their duties on Saturday due to a funds crunch.</p>.<p>BRIMS owes each of these doctors, hired around eight years ago, lakhs of rupees as their salaries have been overdue for over seven to eight months. Services at many departments, including radiology, may be hit, leaving patients in the lurch.</p>.<p>One of the doctors told <span class="italic">DH</span> on condition of anonymity that around 40 doctors, many of them with MD and MS degrees, were relieved of their duties without prior intimation.</p>.<p>Some of them received an email in this regard. “We had been serving at BRIMS for the past five to six years. We were not paid on time and each of us is yet to get salary of seven to eight months amounting to Rs 5 lakh. The sudden decision has not only put us in a fix but will leave patients depending on the general hospital in the lurch.”</p>.<p>He said that of the three doctors in the radiology department, two of them had been relieved. With this, the CT and MRI scanning facilities will be disrupted, forcing poor patients to pay exorbitant fees at private medical centres for these services. Patients from various parts of Bidar and neighbouring Telangana and Andhra Pradesh also visit the 750-bed hospital.</p>.<p>Speaking to <span class="italic">DH</span>, BRIMS director Shivkumar Shetkar admitted that the contract-based doctors were not paid for seven to eight months.</p>.<p>“The salary issue would be resolved in three to four days. As the intake has been increased from 150 to 200, we need additional doctors and they would be accommodated. We need to follow the roster and they would be given preference as they are institutional candidates. Recruitments will be done in around 20 days.”</p>.<p>On funds shortage, he said that initially, the state government had directed BRIMS to mobilise funds internally to pay salaries of the contract-based doctors. Now, the government has agreed to give additional funds for their salaries. Once they are selected after the interviews, they would be paid directly by the government, he said.</p>.<p>Cut-off box - Most docs on contract Of the 250 sanctioned posts for doctors only around 100 are permanent. BRIMS had listed contract doctors as its own staff to get permission from National Medical Commission to increase its intake and to start additional PG courses. But now it is facing a staff crunch.</p>