In Jammu and Kashmir, NHM employees are running the public health system at the grassroots—yet they remain underpaid and insecure. Staff under the National Health Mission, including nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists, and field workers, handle patient care, disease surveillance, maternal health, and emergency response. Their work is permanent. Their pay and status are not.
An NHM employee often earns ₹12,000–20,000 a month, without job security, pension, or proper medical benefits. A regular employee doing the same work earns significantly more with full service benefits. The gap is not minor—it is systemic.
Many NHM workers have served for over a decade. The health system depends on them daily, especially in rural and underserved areas. Calling them “contractual” after years of continuous service is no longer credible. The posts exist. The workload exists. Only fair recognition is missing.
This disparity is affecting service delivery. Low wages and uncertainty push experienced staff to leave. Those who stay work under constant financial stress. In a sector like healthcare, this is not just unfair—it is risky.
The government cannot hide behind funding patterns. NHM may be a centrally sponsored scheme, but implementation is local, and responsibility is shared. Other states have already moved toward better pay structures and partial regularisation. Jammu and Kashmir cannot remain an exception.
The solution is straightforward. Fix a uniform pay structure for NHM employees based on role and experience. Ensure annual increments. Provide health insurance and retirement benefits. Start phased regularisation for those who have completed long years of service.
NHM employees are not temporary hands—they are the backbone of public healthcare. Paying them less for the same work is not cost-saving; it is institutional unfairness.
End the disparity. Strengthen the system by treating its workers with fairness, not as expendable contracts.
