Auxiliary Nurse Midwives demand regularisation; contract staff, junior doctors also raise grievances
Hyderabad: Growing unrest is sweeping through Telangana’s health sector as Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and other contractual staff intensify their protests against delayed salaries, job insecurity, and unfulfilled government promises.
ANMs Demand Regularisation and Arrears
For the past 18 months, ANMs across the state have repeatedly staged demonstrations seeking regularisation of their services, retirement benefits, and release of pending arrears. On Thursday, hundreds gathered outside the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare’s office in Koti, pressing for better pay and working conditions.
K. Yada Naik, General Secretary of the Telangana United Medical and Health Employees Union, said, “The Congress had promised to regularise our services, but nothing has been done so far. ANMs have been providing essential services for decades, and they deserve job security.”
Wider Discontent in Health Workforce
The protests are not limited to ANMs. Contract staff, security personnel attached to health departments, and junior doctors have also staged strikes in recent months. Junior doctors briefly boycotted duties demanding a “green channel” for timely stipends, but their demands remain unresolved despite assurances from the government.
Rising Fear of Job Losses
Many ANMs, now in their 50s, fear losing jobs after failing to clear the recent Multi-Purpose Health Worker examination. Rama Lakshmi, a protesting ANM, said, “We are being given unrealistic targets without job security. Our arrears remain unpaid, and promises made during talks have never been fulfilled.”
Naik added that without urgent government intervention, long-serving ANMs risk losing their livelihoods after decades of service.
