Pune: Health services in Pune have been halted as more than 1,400 employees and officers of the National Health Mission (NHM) have been on strike for the past two weeks. The protest has hit government hospitals hard, with neonatal intensive care units, maternity wards, operating theatres, vaccination programs, and screenings for tuberculosis, leprosy, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure severely disrupted.
The absence of NHM staff who make up nearly half of the health department’s workforce has left patients and their families in distress. Nurses, pharmacists, technicians, clerks, data entry operators, doctors, and program managers are all part of the 69 cadres of employees working under NHM contracts, many of whom have served for 15–20 years but still receive 50–60 % less salary than their permanent counterparts.
In Pune’s civic hospitals, the impact has been immediate. Routine immunisations for children, antenatal care for expectant mothers, and follow-up treatment for chronic illnesses have slowed down drastically. Patients are facing long waits or being turned away due to the shortage of staff.
NHM employees highlight that despite a 2022 Bombay High Court order and a government resolution issued in March 2024 to absorb long-serving contractual workers into government service, no action has been taken.
Local NHM representatives warn that if the deadlock continues, Pune’s already burdened health system may worsen. “We work shoulder to shoulder with regular staff, but our pay is much lower and our future uncertain. Until the government issues an order to regularise our services, this strike will continue,” said Vijay Gaikwad, Chairman of the NHM All-inclusive Committee, Pune.
