Mizoram's contractual health workers stage protest demanding job regularisation and policy reforms

Scores of contractual health workers under the National Health Mission (NHM) in Mizoram staged a protest on Wednesday, demanding the regularisation of their services and expressing strong opposition to the state government’s recent recruitment policy.

The demonstration, led by the Mizoram Contract Health Workers Association (MCHWA), was triggered by a recent advertisement from the state health department announcing the direct recruitment of 100 new health workers. Protesters termed the move a betrayal of multiple assurances previously given by government officials, including ministers, that existing contract workers would be prioritised for regular positions based on seniority and experience.

“We have served the public for years in difficult and remote areas. Despite repeated promises from the authorities that our services would be regularised, the government has now chosen to recruit fresh candidates through open advertisement. This is a clear breach of trust,” said one of the protesting workers.

The association has urged the government to reserve at least 50 out of the 100 newly announced posts for long-serving NHM contractual workers. They also pressed for an amendment to the current recruitment rules, citing challenges faced by existing workers such as limited access to computer training and having surpassed the prescribed age limit.

The protestors further argued that the government’s new recruitment approach disregards the contribution of those who have served the state’s healthcare system diligently for years on a contractual basis.

MCHWA has stated that it will continue its agitation until their demands are acknowledged and concrete steps are taken to secure the futures of existing NHM health workers.