John Wilbert & Rabindranath Biswas
Port Blair, Oct 25: Resentment is running high among 37 contract employees of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in North and Middle Andaman District as they haven’t got their salary incentives and increment since last March 2022.
National Health Mission (NHM) employees have been suffering heavily due to non-payment of incentive and increment since last March.
A sizable number of medical professionals was employed under NRHM in the Health Service of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and as per report, there are about 41 doctors, 88 ANMs, 98 CHOs and paramedical staffs are working in different CHCs &PHSc.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, a few of these Staffs (Community Health Officer (CHO) and Mid-Level Health Provider (MLHP) who were appointed batch wise as 1st Batch, 2nd and 3rd batch) working in CHCs &PHSc in North and Middle Andaman and who do not want their name to be quoted said that it has been eight months since they got no increment in their salary or any type of incentives. And it has also been observed that, they usually get their salary after a gap of 2-3 months and which put them in undesirable difficulties, they alleged.
NRHM Employees claimed that whenever the matter was taken up to the knowledge of the higher authority, each time they were told that their payment was under process. Expressing their dissatisfaction on the reportedly delay in their payment and increment, they further said that they continued to perform their duty in the hardest conditions and they showed great perseverance in the face of difficulty and still these staff are continuing their normal work to protect the interest of the people. Now, the concerned authority should consider upon their problem and take necessary steps/measures to clear the payment due from the month of March 2022, the NRHM employees said.
Andaman Sheekha tried to contact the official of NHM to know the reason behind this delay, but contact couldn’t be established with the Officials. On the other hand, National Health Mission (NHM) employees alleged that this is not the first time when their salary has been delayed, they faced the same problems earlier several times.
“We are hopeful that the Government of India will intervene in this matter and resolve this issue on priority”, the aggrieved health workers (NRHM) further said.
