Around 250 doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, pharmacists and other healthcare workers under the NGO-Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in Arunachal Pradesh have demanded the immediate release of their pending salaries, saying they have not been paid since March this year.

The healthcare workers engaged under the NHM-PPP model said they have not received their salaries despite continuing to serve in difficult and remote areas.

They allege that such delays have occurred in the past too, with salaries withheld for seven to eight months at a stretch, followed by payment for only three or four months.

The healthcare workers clarified that they are not against the PPP model itself. They just want the system to function in a way that protects both patients' access to healthcare and the financial security of the workers delivering those services.

The government and the agency need to work out a mechanism to address these concerns and ensure that salaries are paid each month without the workers having to remind them.

These healthcare professionals already have the difficulty of delivering their services in remote areas, where healthcare delivery faces geographical and connectivity challenges. Having to ask for what is due to these professional workers smacks of the government and agencies not taking care of their basic needs.

There should be no blame game over why the salary is being delayed. A mechanism should be put in place where salaries are disbursed on the first working day of each month.