CHENNAI: Six months maternity leave will be granted to women staff associated with National Health Mission (NHM) in Tamil Nadu, said Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Sunday. The decision, based on representation from workers, is a first in the country and will benefit more than 40,000 workers, the minister said.
The leave, however, will be an unpaid one. One-year maternity leave extended for permanent government staff is a paid leave. Speaking to TNIE, Dr J Kumutha, expert advisor for child health, Tamil Nadu, said, “The primary objective of maternity leave is to increase breastfeeding. Mothers introduce their children to supplements early as they have to go back to work.
Also, contract workers will be under stress over fear of losing salary if they don’t go to work. Now they will be relieved from all these worries.” The move will benefit baby, mother, and other family members too, Dr Kumutha said.
R Geetha, advisor, Unorganised Workers Federation, said it is good that Tamil Nadu is setting a precedent. Contract workers are being paid only minimum wages and losing jobs after delivery would be a sad thing. So, it is good that benefit available to other women workers is being extended to contract workers too.
A former NHM staff nurse, however, said this is not equality. “When there is one-year maternity leave for permanent workers, why should contract workers be given only six months? They also go through same issues as permanent workers. Government must consider this,” she said.
Speaking to reporters at the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Omandurar Estate, the minister said a 30% salary hike will be given to remaining 5,971 medical and medical-related field workers under NHM.
MTM nurses to get Rs 4,000 salary hike
Also 4,848 nurses working under Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam will get a salary hike of Rs 4,000, from Rs 14,000 to Rs 18,000, effective April 2021. Similarly, salary of 2,448 healthcare providers working under Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam will be hiked from Rs 11,000 to Rs 14,000 per month.
It will be funded under National Health Mission. Earlier, 30% salary hike was given to 28,982 contract workers under NHM, the minister said. Rehabi l i tat ion cent res wi l l be opened at Erode and Karur Medical College Hospitals and at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital under ‘Ensure Nutrition’ scheme launched by the CM in The Nilgiris on Saturday.
Under the scheme, malnourished children under six years of age will be provided specialised medical care. Dental care units will be opened in 29 primary health centres (PHCs) across districts, the minister said. The minister also said the State has achieved 93.68% first-dose Covid vaccine coverage and 82.29% second-dose coverage.
On June 12, vaccination camps will be conducted in one lakh places and the health department is planning to conduct such mega camps once every month, he said. Over two crore people in Tamil Nadu are yet to be vaccinated, and the State has prepared a name list to encourage them to get vaccinated. The Union Health Ministry has sent over three lakh doses of vaccines for inoculation of children in 5 to 11 age group. Once the Centre releases guidelines, these children will be vaccinated, Subramanian said.
Earlier the minister met 21-year-old Balaji, a wrestler undergoing treatment at Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Omandurar Estate after suffering muscle tear and fracture, and S Sindhu, a Class 12 student who appeared for the board exam despite being bedridden. He also called on Surya Kumar from Krishnagiri who suffered severe burns and was undergoing treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Paid leave only for permanent workers
Permanent government staff in the State are eligible for a one-year maternity leave, which is a paid one. The contract workers, however, would go without pay during the six-month leave