‘PHC Plus model with more beds, doctors aims to bridge gap between PHCs and CHCs’
Shillong, Jan 14: Nearly 300 contractual nurses working in various government hospitals are likely to get their pending salary within the month of January.
Speaking on the issue, Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla has assured that the pending salaries of 288 contractual nurses will be released this month.
“It is not that we are waiting for them (NGOs or political parties) to demand… we are already in the process (to release the pending dues),” Shylla told reporters on Wednesday.
The minister explained that the delay was due to a technical issue with the personnel department, which had approved the extension of contracts for only 200 nurses, instead of all 288.
“We have sent it back for correction that we want all 288 should be approved. That is why it took time,” Shylla added.
The contractual nurses’ contracts ended on November 1, 2025, and the department has since worked out the issues and is set to release the pending salaries this month.
“In this month itself they will be getting their salaries,” the minister assured.
Meanwhile, Shylla assured of action to solve the demands of 7,000 ASHA workers, who are on strike, in protest against delayed incentives.
“There was a slight issue because the money is coming from the Centre. We are pushing for the amount to be released as soon as possible,” Shylla told reporters on Wednesday.
The minister had previously discussed the issue with the MD NHM, who has assured the workers of an update. “It has not come to my knowledge that they will be continuing with their strike, but we are pushing for the release of the amount,” Shylla added.
The ASHA workers have been on strike for the past seven days, demanding the release of their pending incentives.
The Health Minister, meanwhile, set a goal to make quality healthcare accessible to rural areas, making it his New Year resolution.
“My goal is… (to ensure) health services reach the grassroot and that quality healthcare should be accessible not only in cities but till the rural areas,” Shylla said.
On the government’s plan to upgrade PHCs/CHCs, Shylla said, “We have done quite a number of them… we’ve created another category, PHC Plus, where the number of beds and doctors will be increased.”
He added that more upgrades are in the pipeline, despite financial constraints.
The PHC Plus model aims to bridge the gap between PHCs and CHCs, with more facilities than PHCs but less than CHCs.
