Telangana health workers continue protests over regularisation and salary delays

Hyderabad: Frustration is growing among health workers in Telangana as Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and contract staff continue to stage protests over delayed salaries, job insecurity, and unfulfilled promises. For the past 18 months, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) across the state have repeatedly taken to the streets, demanding regularisation of their services, retirement benefits, and the release of pending arrears. On Thursday, hundreds of ANMs gathered at the office of the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare in Koti, pressing for better working conditions and salaries. The unrest is not limited to ANMs. Contract workers, security staff attached to various health departments and teaching hospitals and even junior doctors have also held strikes in recent months. Junior doctors had briefly boycotted duties, demanding a “green channel” for the timely release of stipends. Though the government convinced them to resume work, their demands remain unresolved. Also read- No work, no pay: Chhattisgarh Govt warns 16,000 striking NHM contractual employees Despite repeated protests from different sections of the health workforce, many of their key issues, including timely salary payments and regularisation of jobs, are still pending. K Yada Naik, general secretary of Telangana United Medical and Health Employees Union, told Telangana Today, “The Congress had made an election promise to regularise our services, but so far, it has not been able to do anything to address the promise. The services of the ANMs, who are on a contractual basis, must be regularised. Our members have been providing essential services for decades, and they deserve job security." Rama Lakshmi, a protesting ANM, said, "The health department was setting unrealistic targets but not regularising their services. We are not receiving 100 per cent of our gross salaries, including arrears. On several occasions in the past, health officials held talks with us, but have not fulfilled their promises." “After decades of working as ANMs, a large number of our members have reached 50 years of age. Most of them now fear losing their jobs, following the recent examination results of Multi-Purpose Health Workers. Many appeared for this test but failed to clear it. What happens to their future?” Naik asked.