NHM medical staff in Gujarat allege two-month salary delay

Around 20,000 contractual medical, paramedical, and administrative staff working on an ad hoc basis at government hospitals and PHC centres across Gujarat have complained of not receiving their salaries for the past two months, triggering widespread resentment within the health system.

The affected employees, recruited under the National Health Mission (NHM), include doctors, nurses, and other paramedical staff claim that delays in salary disbursement have left them under severe financial stress.

In Ahmedabad, NHM staff deployed at government hospitals said salaries for November and December are yet to be credited. While there are claims that salary payments have begun in a few districts, employees allege that the situation remains unresolved in several parts of the state, exposing what they describe as administrative apathy in the health department.

Medical and paramedical staff members said the non-payment of salaries has made it difficult to manage household expenses, particularly as loan instalments and EMIs continue uninterrupted.

Under the NHM, a wide range of personnel have been appointed on a contractual basis, including doctors at child protection centres, AYUSH doctors, nurses, PHC accountants, taluka programme coordinators and AYUSH medical officers, among others.

Sources indicated that the delay in salary payments is being attributed to a shortage of grants. However, employees pointed out that an advance salary was paid during the Diwali period.

Despite that, the continued delay in clearing salaries for November and December has pushed many medical, paramedical and administrative staff into uncertainty.