Contract health workers in Telangana struggle with unpaid wages

Contract workers under National Health Mission (NHM), TVVP, Director of Medical Education (DME), frequently suffer from delayed release of salaries in Telangana State.

Hyderabad: The health department in Telangana State continues to remain passive, unable to address the issue of chronic delays in releasing salaries to 4000 contract and outsourcing staff in health care facilities that come under Telangana Vaidya Vidhan Parishad (TVVP).

Contract and outsourcing employees in various health departments form the backbone of Government health care facilities in Telangana State. And yet, contract workers under National Health Mission (NHM), TVVP, Director of Medical Education (DME), frequently suffer from delayed release of salaries in Telangana State.

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“Last September/October, we launched massive protests because of pending salaries. Now, just after three months, the situation is the same. How can bed-side caregivers in Government hospitals, who already have limited pay scales, be expected to discharge their duties efficiently without salaries for three months? This is inhuman,” says M Narasimha, president, Telangana Contract and Outsourcing Employees Union.

After meeting senior TVVP officials, representatives of the contract workers were told to meet the Health Minister. “Why should we meet the Health Minister for our salaries? Isn’t it the responsibility of the health department to ensure timely payment?” he asked.

Contract workers also point out that those employed by third party agencies do not receive their entire monthly remuneration. “On paper, if a contract worker has a monthly salary of Rs 15, 600 to Rs 16, 000. Then he or she will only receive Rs 10, 000 to Rs 11, 000 while the rest is collected by the recruiting agencies. Delay in releasing salaries is a chronic problem that has to be addressed by the State government,” contract workers said.