By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 12: Contractual employees engaged with the Health department across Meghalaya, including doctors and nurses have not received their salaries for two to three months. Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh addressed the issue, confirming that a bulk amount to cover salaries until March 2025 has been released and will soon be transferred to the employees.
“I am grateful to the doctors who are not disclosing it to the media. Some of them have not been paid for the last three months. There is again a problem with the system,” Lyngdoh stated. She attributed part of the delay to the model code of conduct, which has hindered transactions.
Lyngdoh expressed her dismay at the situation, noting, “There are certain people who are texting me, and I am feeling ashamed that this is happening. There is no harm in admitting that this is not fair, and I told the CM of this problem, and he is also very disturbed. We need to find a way out of this predicament of pending salaries for workers across the sector.”
The minister acknowledged the widespread nature of the issue, affecting doctors, nurses, ward personnel, and technicians. “It seems to be happening across the board. Contractual pay is usually delayed for various factors. Whatever it is, having seen that they are required in the system, contractual workers should have a hassle-free service, especially in the healthcare sector,” she emphasized.
Lyngdoh called the situation torturous for the workers and an unnecessary strain on the system, stating, “We put them through this torture, and it is an unnecessary strain on the system. At least in my department, it is torturous for the workers. It is a defeat, something we have inherited from the past, and we need to sort it out.”