Amid concerns over delayed payments and service disruptions, Meghalaya Minister in Charge of Health and Family Welfare Wailadmiki Shylla on Wednesday sought to clarify the issue of pending salaries of contractual nurses asserting that the delays are procedural and temporary, with payments expected to be released within this month.
Addressing the matter of nurses’ salaries, Shylla said, “See its like this, it is not like they are demanding for it, we are already in the process but there was some issue and I think it’s not for the first time, in the past also they have face this kind of issue.”
He explained that the delay stems from complications related to the extension of contracts for nursing staff.
Elaborating further, the minister said, “Regarding these contact nurses, their contract end on 1 November 2025, so from our end we have already send for the extension to the personal department, but the personal department approve for only 200 of them, there were 288 of them among others also and those have cleared, other than 288, 200 of them have approved we have send it back for correction, so that 88 to be approve.”
He added that corrective steps have already been initiated to ensure approval for the remaining nurses.
Reassuring the affected staff, Shylla stated, “So in the meantime, in this month itself they will be getting their salary.” He reiterated that the contracts are renewed annually and acknowledged that a similar situation had occurred earlier as well. “Yes because as you know, these are contractual period of one year so it end on last year November, so we send it for extension but it got approve for only 200, so we have send it back, so in the meantime it will be done,” he said.
On the issue of ASHA workers, the health minister pointed to funding delays from the Centre. “So that one also there was slight issue, as you know the money is coming from the centre, so last time I had discuss with MD and I think from his end also he has call them and then he has assure from his end but in the meantime I don’t know regarding anything that they are going to continue with their strike and all but from out end we are pushing that the amount to release as soon as possible,” Shylla said.
