Srinagar, March 20: As the Eid-ul-Fitr is being celebrated on Saturday, hundreds of employees under the National Health Mission (NHM) in Kashmir find themselves caught between duty and distress, awaiting salaries pending for the past three months.
Doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff say the delay has cast a shadow over what should have been a time of preparation and joy. Despite repeated assurances that dues would be cleared before Eid, many employees said that as of Friday evening, their accounts remained empty.
For some, the wait has been deeply personal. Shaista Begum, a nurse from Bandipora, spent hours in the market on Friday, hoping for a message confirming her salary had been credited so she could buy essentials for her children. “We were told that the bills had been submitted, but the salary has not been credited. We also have families to support,” she said.
Her predicament echoes across districts, where employees say they are continuing to serve patients while quietly grappling with financial strain at home. “For the past three months, we have not received our wages. We expected the issue to be resolved before Eid, but that has not happened,” another nurse said, pointing to the growing difficulty of managing household expenses.
Many staff members said they had approached authorities, including the Minister, earlier this week, but received no response. Some alleged that while funds may have been released at higher administrative levels, bottlenecks in local disbursement—particularly involving Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs)—have stalled payments.
A paramedical staff member described an atmosphere of uncertainty: “We are continuing our duties, but delays in salaries are affecting us.”
The recurring nature of such delays, especially around festivals, has added to the frustration. Some employees also voiced disappointment over what they see as an inadequate response from the NHM Employees Forum.
A spokesperson for the Forum said that salaries have been disbursed in some blocks and that the matter has been taken up with higher authorities. “This issue has been raised with the authorities. We have been given assurances and expect that it will be addressed,” the spokesperson said, acknowledging past delays.
Meanwhile, Mission Director NHM Jammu and Kashmir, Akriti Sagar, could not be reached for comment as calls to her office went unanswered.
For many employees, the appeal is simple yet urgent: timely payment of salaries—especially during moments meant for family, dignity, and celebration
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