Chennai: Approximately 200 medical workers, including nurses and doctors, gathered outside the Ripon Building on Wednesday to demand the payment of their salaries for the current month. Employed under the National Urban Health Mission and posted at primary health centres managed by the Greater Chennai Corporation, many protesters reported receiving only partial wages.
Partial Payments and Hardship
One nurse disclosed she had received merely ₹22, while another stated she was paid only ₹6,000 of her ₹18,000 monthly salary. “It is already difficult to run a household on ₹18,000. Getting just ₹6,000 makes it impossible,” the second nurse remarked. The demonstrators highlighted the severe financial strain caused by the irregular payments.
Official Explanation
Health officer Dr. M. Jagadeesan attributed the shortfall to a newly implemented mobile application that links attendance records—logged between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.—directly to salary disbursement. He assured that the issue would be resolved within three days. However, the workers rejected this explanation, asserting that they had consistently marked their attendance. “We know that marking attendance is the norm in both private and government firms,” said Dr. Julius, a protester from one of the centres. “But, despite doing that, some of us have not received full salaries.”
Broader Concerns
Several workers contended that contractual employees are not treated on par with permanent staff. Concerns about working conditions were also raised. A staff nurse recounted: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was assigned ambulance duty. I had an abortion in my fourth month. I continued working. Even during that period, we did not receive our increments.” The protest, which began around 8 a.m., was ordered to disperse by 3 p.m.
Commissioner’s Intervention
Later, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Dr. G.S. Sameeran stated that he had directed the city health officer to release salaries based on physical attendance for this month. “Next month onwards, we will reconcile biometric and physical attendance for any discrepancies before disbursing salaries,” Sameeran said.
