Chhattisgarh Govt issues ultimatum to striking NHM contractual staff

Raipur: Amid an ongoing strike by nearly 16,000 contractual employees of the National Health Mission (NHM), the Chhattisgarh government on Monday issued a strict ultimatum, demanding their immediate return to work within 24 hours or face termination.

The indefinite strike, which began on August 18 and is driven by a 10-point list of demands including better pay, job regularization, and improved working conditions, has severely impacted healthcare services across the state.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that, angered by the government's decision to terminate 25 National Health Mission (NHM) staffers, a total of 14,678 NHM officers and employees across the state have so far submitted their resignations. These mass resignations come amid an indefinite strike that began on August 18, with employees demanding the fulfilment of the ten-point charter, including regularisation of their services.

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Speaking to TOI, Dr. Amit Kumar Miri, president of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh NHM Karmchari Sangh, and general secretary Kaushlesh stated that the strike will continue unless all their demands are met.

The Health and Family Welfare Department, led by Health Secretary Amit Kataria, has instructed all Chief Medical and Health Officers (CMHOs) to initiate termination proceedings with a one-month notice against employees who fail to resume their duty by Tuesday evening. The order follows several rounds of discussions and partial concessions by the NHM executive committee, but the union representing the employees remains firm on continuing the strike until all demands are met.

The state government has responded to several worker grievances by making 30 days of leave for accidents or serious illnesses a paid benefit, implementing a transparent annual performance evaluation process that includes issuing a ‘show cause’ notice and a hearing before any adverse action, and creating an online portal to streamline these procedures.

According to TOI, other measures under consideration include granting a 5% additional salary hike for contractual employees from July 2023, subject to approval from the state finance department; initiating health insurance coverage for all NHM staff; forming a seven-member state-level committee to review HR policies such as grade pay, compassionate appointments, and transfer guidelines. The committee has been tasked with submitting its report within three months.

Despite recent negotiations, the strike has largely remained unresolved, prompting the state’s health and family welfare department to issue a stern directive. Health Secretary Amit Kataria instructed all Chief Medical and Health Officers (CMHOs) to issue final notices to absentees, who had already been served ‘show cause’ notices on August 29, 2025. Employees failing to return to duty by Tuesday evening face termination, with a one-month notice period as per NHM policies.

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The NHM employees’ 10-point demands include the regularization of services, establishment of a dedicated public health cadre, parity in grade pay with other health workers, a 27% salary increase, cashless health insurance coverage of at least Rs 10 lakh, paid medical and emergency leave benefits, transparent evaluation of Confidential Reports (CRs), a proper transfer policy, reservation in regular recruitment, and compassionate appointment provisions.