Report by correspondent of Mazdoor Ekta Committee (MEC)
Thousands of health workers working under the National Health Mission (NHM) in Chhattisgarh have been agitating since 18 August 2025 for their demands, including equal pay at par with regular health workers.
This struggle is being led by Chhattisgarh Pradesh NHM Karmachari Sangh.
The main demands of the employees are the following: regularization of contract workers, equal pay for equal work, establishment of public health cadre, annual performance evaluation of contract workers, 27% increase in salary, minimum Rs 10 lakh cashless medical insurance, medical and other leave facilities, etc.
It is known that to fill the gaps in providing government health services to the public, many services are provided by the central and state governments under the National Health Mission scheme. The health workers working under this scheme—doctors, nurses, pharmacists, pathologists, sanitation workers etc.—serve as the means for taking healthcare services to the people in rural and remote areas. These health workers work on contract for very low salaries for years. These contract health workers are not recognized as permanent workers.
Instead of accepting the legitimate demands of the NHM Employees’ Union, the state government is defaming them. A lie is being spread through the media that the government has fulfilled 5 out of 10 demands of the health workers, while only one demand has been assured to be fulfilled. Along with this, the government has dismissed 25 employees who were leading the struggle. To oppose the dismissal of their leading comrades, about 16,000 health workers across the state have collectively resigned and adopted the path of struggle. In this struggle, doctors, nursing staff and sanitation workers are protesting unitedly.
According to the president of the NHM Employees’ Union, the state government is taking brutal action against NHM employees to break their strike. They are lathi-charging them and are also threatening arrest.
The protesting employees reminded the state government that the BJP had promised to solve the problems of contract health workers in its manifesto during the 2023 assembly elections in Chhattisgarh. But even after 20 months of the formation of the government, there has been no hearing, although workers have submitted memorandums more than 160 times to the Chief Minister, Health Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, MLAs and MPs.
Chhattisgarh Indian Doctors Association (CDS), Chhattisgarh Sarva Vibhaagiya Contract Employees Federation, Health and Multipurpose Employees Union, Chhattisgarh R.M.A. Association, Health Coordinator Employees Union-Chhattisgarh have all together submitted a memorandum to the government in support of the strike of NHM health workers.
NHM employees of Chhattisgarh have decided to continue their struggle to get their demands fulfilled. Mazdoor Ekta Committee fully supports their struggle.