Looking for ways to pay 65 foreign national docs at AIIMS, says hosp

New Delhi: After the Resident Doctors' Association wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking payment of stipends for 65 foreign national doctors working at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here, the hospital has now said that it is working out a way to pay stipends to these doctors with the Union Health Ministry.

Millennium Post had on May 6 reported that while relevant instructions were passed on to the ministries to take action in this matter and pay the foreign national doctors — senior members of the administration were unwilling to accommodate this demand for stipend to these doctors, who come from SAARC countries but most of whom are from Nepal.

However, in response to these allegations, Dr (Prof) Arti Vij, chief of the Media Protocol Division at AIIMS, said that the hospital is working out a way to pay these doctors and denied any remarks about the hospital not considering it.

The hospital said that these doctors are not entitled to stipend under the rules that they apply and a challenge to this rule was entangled in the judicial process but despite this they are looking into the matter. The hospital said, "At present the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and AIIMS New Delhi are evaluating alternative mechanisms whereby Foreign Nationals may be paid a stipend."

In the May 6 report, a senior official was quoted attributing remarks to Associate Dean at AIIMS, Rajeev Kumar, that the hospital will not allow foreign national doctors to be paid as it would be "unethical".

But the AIIMS has in the rejoinder, issued on May 17, disputed these remarks and said, "Resident Doctor Association (RDA), AIIMS has

denied that none of the statements about the conduct and remarks of Dr. (Prof.) Rajeev Kumar, Associate Dean, AIIMS, New Delhi, as published in the news item, are attributable to any Office Bearers of the Association."