Mohalla Clinic staffers protesting outside Delhi Secretariat on Monday.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Mohalla Clinic staffers on Monday staged a protest outside the Delhi Secretariat amid growing concerns over job security. The protesting doctors, nurses, and multi-tasking workers demanded that they be absorbed into the upcoming Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs).

This decision came after the Comptroller and Auditor General report, tabled in the Assembly by the BJP, revealed shortcomings in the functioning of the clinics. According to officials, there are 553 Mohalla Clinics in the Capital, of which 70 are proposed to be upgraded into AAMs. The transformation would also lead to the shutting of over 250 clinics, said Health Minister Pankaj Singh.

The protest, which began at 9 a.m. and continued till 12 noon, witnessed the staff seeking clarity on their future. Five doctors then entered the Secretariat to meet Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Health Minister. However, when they were not available, the doctors submitted the memorandum to the health department officials.

“Our two months’ salaries have been stopped so that we can be pressured. We are being made to sign no-dues forms,” read the memorandum roughly translated from Hindi.

The doctors, in a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister, highlighted that they were recruited through a government-led, extensive selection process. All the staff should be transferred to AAMs without any “disruption in services”, the memorandum stated, reiterating the CM’s earlier assurance, made on May 16, that “no one will be laid off”. Echoing CM’s statement, Mr. Singh, last week, said that “those who are eligible and work hard, will not be rendered jobless”.

However, in a meeting on April 17, the Health Department announced that it would hire new staff, sparking concerns about job security among the Mohalla Clinic staff. While the department mentioned that existing doctors and paramedics may continue for up to a year or until new appointments are made, Monday’s protestors said, “no assurance was given”.

Taking on the government’s new eligibility criteria based on age limit, a 68-year-old practising doctor said, “Under the earlier criteria, experienced doctors were given a chance to continue working after retirement. Under the new criteria that the government plans, there will be an age limit, rendering many of us jobless.”

The doctor, who was among the five others who spoke to officials on Monday said, “Officials acknowledged the memorandum but did not give us any assurance. Most clinics have been shut today, and we did not want to deprive patients, but we had no option.”

A nurse, who has worked in a clinic for six years said, “Firstly, there are not enough jobs. If we have been given a contract, based on our qualifications, we should be retained.”

“Moreover, the job is important to me because it is a day job and I have a one-year-old infant at home. If I have to move to a hospital, it will be very difficult for me to do night duty,” she said, adding that her monthly salary is approximately ₹25,000 per month.