Contractual NHM staff may get permanent jobs; honorarium hike planned
Nagpur: Thousands of contractual healthcare workers under the National Health Mission (NHM) in Maharashtra may soon be regularised into govt service, bringing long-awaited relief and job security,
health minister Prakash Abitkar
announced in Mumbai.
Abitkar instructed officials to urgently prepare a proposal for absorbing NHM staff who have worked for several years on temporary contracts. He also suggested changes in recruitment rules to accommodate the maximum number of eligible workers in a single phase.
The minister further directed that a separate proposal for increasing the honorarium of NHM employees should be placed before the state cabinet at the earliest.
Similarly, staff working under the Prime Minister's Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) will also be considered for inclusion, with Abitkar asking the Women and Child Welfare Department to expedite a formal govt resolution.
In a positive development for frontline health workers, the minister proposed raising payment for Asha (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers from the current Rs5 to Rs20 per task. Additionally, incentives for employees under the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana are also being finalised.
These decisions are part of a broader initiative to improve workforce motivation and service delivery in the state's public health programs. The meeting regarding this, held in Mumbai, was attended by senior officials, including health secretary Dr Nipun Vinayak, NHM director Dr Nitin Ambadekar, and other key department heads.
If implemented, this reform could benefit thousands of contractual workers across Maharashtra and strengthen grassroots health programmes, especially in underserved rural and tribal areas.
The NHM staff across the state haven't got salaries for the last three months. They threatened to go on strike over the issue from May 20. However, after this decision, the call to strike was withdrawn. NHM staff union leaders told TOI that they are expecting salaries in June and some concrete on-paper announcement of permanent jobs through govt resolution.
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