More than a thousand recently hired staff nurses in Telangana are claiming they have not received their pay since February of this year. Health Minister C. Damodar Rajanarsimha acknowledged that technical issues were the reason for some nurses' delays, yet the issue resurfaced.
According to a statement from the minister's office, the state government under Chief Minister X had swiftly appointed 6,956 staff nurses to address vacancies across health facilities and other departments. While only 300 nurses reportedly faced delays in salary payments due to issues with generating their PRAN (Permanent Retirement Account Number), a significant number of others allege non-payment since February.
Speaking anonymously to the Deccan Chronicle, a nurse highlighted that the lack of orientation and guidance from the government regarding necessary documentation, especially in obtaining the PRAN, has compounded the issue. "Newly appointed nurses were unaware of the specific documents required or how to correctly fill out forms. Many lacked essential caste certificates and identification documents, which has evidently hindered the salary processing for approximately 1,000 nurses," the nurse stated.
The recruitment drive aimed to fill positions in various hospitals, SC/ST/BC and minority residential schools, and homes for the disabled. But the program, though excellent in general, has been overshadowed by the administrative challenges that the nurses must overcome.
The delay in salary disbursement has caused distress among affected nurses, many of whom are struggling financially without their expected incomes for several months. Despite the government's efforts to rectify the situation for the 300 nurses affected by technical issues, the larger group of 1,000 nurses remains in limbo, awaiting resolution.
The difficulties in ensuring timely payment of salaries surpassed the government's quick action in hiring nurses to cover urgent openings, thus impacting the daily lives of many healthcare professionals. It is expected that efforts will be made to quickly rectify the problem in order to ease the financial burden on the impacted nurses and restore trust in the government's management of public sector hiring.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary/MSM)
