Sun Sep 14 20:18:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
Over 14,000 contractual workers under the National Health Mission (NHM) in Chhattisgarh, India, have been on strike for 24 days, severely impacting healthcare services across the state. The strike, driven by demands for permanent employment, better pay (a 27% hike), and improved working conditions, has led to staff shortages, stalled programs, and overburdened remaining healthcare personnel. While the Chhattisgarh government claims to have met five demands with a 5% salary increase, the workers are demanding a written order for the government’s announcements and intend to continue the protest until all 10 demands are fulfilled. The situation is particularly dire in rural areas, where NHM workers are the primary healthcare providers. The strike has spurred mass resignations and protests, with workers highlighting exploitation under contract employment and demanding parity with regular government employees.
**News Article:**
**Chhattisgarh Healthcare System Crippled by Widespread NHM Workers’ Strike**
**Raipur, Chhattisgarh – September 15, 2025** – The healthcare system in Chhattisgarh is facing a severe crisis as a strike by over 14,000 contractual National Health Mission (NHM) workers enters its fourth week. The strike, which began on August 18, has brought many healthcare services to a standstill, particularly in rural areas dependent on NHM workers.
The striking workers, who constitute a third of the state’s healthcare workforce, are demanding permanent employment, a 27% salary increase, and improved working conditions. They argue that their contract-based employment is exploitative and that they deserve parity with regular government employees who perform similar duties.
Reports from across the state indicate widespread disruptions in healthcare services. Primary Health Centers (PHCs) are struggling to cope with staff shortages, forcing pharmacists to prescribe medicines and leaving nurses overburdened. Immunization programs are stalled, routine check-ups are affected, and reporting of non-communicable diseases has been impacted.
“This is the season when viral fever cases spike,” says Rahul Chakradhari, a pharmacist at a PHC in Gariaband district. “I am forced to attend to patients in consultation with doctors over the phone sometimes. The absence of a nurse is a handicap as far as injections and complex maternal care cases are concerned.”
The Chhattisgarh government claims to have accepted five of the workers’ ten demands, including a 5% salary increase. However, NHM workers are demanding a written order for the government’s announcements and intend to continue the protest until all 10 demands are fulfilled.
The strike has also sparked mass resignations and protests, with workers chanting “Samvida matlab shoshan (contract means exploitation).” They are demanding the government fulfill its 2023 election promise to regularize their employment.
The situation is particularly challenging in remote areas, where NHM workers are often the only healthcare providers. “We have to go to schools and anganwadi centres in remote areas on foot through jungles, rivers, and mountains,” says Sangeeta Bramhnotiya, a district program manager in Narayanpur district.
The ongoing strike is raising serious concerns about the state of public health in Chhattisgarh and the impact on vulnerable populations. With both sides entrenched in their positions, a swift resolution to the crisis seems unlikely.
First Piper 