Frontline Workers under NHM: Respect but no respite

On March 19, 2020, PM Narendra Modi had urged the citizens to go out on their “terraces, balconies, or windows at 5 PM for 5 minutes to express gratitude to all those who are working 24/7 so that the nation becomes free from COVID-19.” Cut to May 3, 2021, close to 25,000 employees of the National Rural Health Mission have threatened to stage a strike if their wages are not increased.

The current wage of a staff nurse performing COVID duties under the National Rural Health Mission is rupees 13,000. To no avail, the union of workers under NHM has been asking for raise in the salary for more than two years, accepting to suspend their initial protest on October 12, 2020, due to the pandemic. According to the workers, even after shuttling from Dy. CM Nitin Patel’s office to the MD of NHM M.A Pandya, they have not been able to find any resolution.

While Nitin Patel announced a 40% increase in the salaries of resident doctors on May 1, 2021, a large section of workers were left unnoticed under the National Rural Health Mission in Gujarat. A contractual staff nurse from Vadodara, currently stationed at Chotta Udepur, said, “Under the mission, my salary was stuck at 11,670 rupees for eight years. We were able to ensure an annual raise of 5.5% in the salary after protests in 2018.” He added that they have also been working unceasingly to treat the patients and deserve better pay.

A doctor under NHM, on duty at Bhavnagar, lost her life to COVID recently. Noting that the virus risks every frontline worker equally, Vinod Pandya, the union leader, added, “Currently, the contractual and permanent workers are doing the same job, and we have also been at high risk. Yet, our salary has been diminutive when compared to other workers.”

According to Vinod Pandya, the administration has also threatened to charge them under the Epidemic Act if they decide to go ahead with the protests. Responding to allegations of being irresponsible amidst a pandemic, he added, “The administration has made us resort to this. After every possible attempt to have a dialogue failed, we will now have to protest if the administration does not respond in the next 15 days.”

The mission, operational since 2005, employs Aayush doctors, pharmacists, lab technicians, community health officers, staff nurses, and data operators under various pay brackets. M.A Pandya, mission director, is believed to have forwarded the workers’ plea to the deputy minister. However, M.A Pandya was not available for comment.