Hospital workers up in arms, seek regular jobs, daily allowance merger

Marching from Gandhi Samadhi to the Delhi Secretariat earlier this week, health employees from Delhi’s state and Central government hospitals raised calls for regular jobs, merger of dearness allowance (DA) with basic pay, and a halt to the privatisation of public health services.

Dearness allowance is a cost-of-living adjustment paid to government employees and pensioners to offset inflation.

The protest, organised by the National Public Health Alliance (NPHA), brought together nurses, technicians, paramedical staff and contractual employees. They have submitted a 17-point charter of demands to the Delhi Government, highlighting concerns over pay, stalled promotions, staff shortages, and outsourcing.

The NPHA’s primary demands include merging 50 per cent DA with basic pay as per the 7th Central Pay Commission, a 25 per cent increase in Health Patient Care Allowance (HPCA/PCA) and uniform allowance, and release of 18 months’ DA arrears from January 2020. The group has also demanded that the cashless DGHS medical facility for employees be restored, instead of shifting to private insurance-based systems.

The NPHA said many of their current demands stem from the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations. In 2016, the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved the implementation of the CPC’s recommendations on pay and pensionary benefits, effective from January 1, 2016.

However, health workers say these provisions have not been implemented for them, even nearly a decade later.

Speaking to The Tribune about the state of hospitals, Sanjay Dilore, president of the Karmchari Union at Lok Nayak Hospital, said, “The hospital is functioning with only about 40 per cent permanent staff. Employees are retiring, but vacancies are not being filled. We are only asking for what was promised to us.”

He added that the shortage of regular staff was putting pressure on existing employees and affecting service delivery in one of Delhi’s busiest public hospitals.

The NPHA letter stated that large-scale recruitment through outsourcing and private contracts had replaced permanent appointments, leaving hundreds of contractual workers without job security or benefits despite years of service.

“We oppose converting public hospitals into autonomous bodies, demanding that institutions such as IHBAS, Maulana Azad Dental College, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Indira Gandhi Hospital, and CATS be brought directly under the Delhi Health Department,” Vijay Kumar, NPHA president, wrote.

He said that the government had failed to engage with health workers despite repeated letters and meetings.

“We have written multiple times to the government, but no action has been taken. Health employees served throughout the pandemic and many lost their lives. Instead of recognition, their allowances were frozen and their jobs made insecure,” Kumar said.

He added that workers were demanding regularisation, time-bound promotions, and restoration of the old pension scheme in place of the new one.

Kumar also shared a Government of India Office Memorandum, issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on December 17, 2012, approving the doubling of Hospital Patient Care Allowance (HPCA/PCA) for Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees in Central hospitals. It also mandates a 25 per cent increase whenever DA rises by 50 per cent.

The group has warned that if no action is taken, they may consider further protests and work boycotts, though they said they wish to avoid disruption of healthcare services.