
COIMBATORE: After a gap of four years, the National Health Mission (NHM) - Tamil Nadu has revised the incentives for engaging government and private specialists, including obstetricians, anaesthetists, and paediatricians, to provide Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) at secondary and tertiary care hospitals.
The NHM funds government hospitals under various schemes, and expenses for hiring doctors are sanctioned to hospitals periodically. Officials said the revision is intended to address the shortage of specialists at CEmONC centres. These centres were established to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates. They provide round-the-clock emergency care for pregnant women and newborns, primarily in taluk-level government hospitals.
However, rising vacancies of specialists have impacted treatment. An expert committee from NHM-TN convened a meeting on 19 December to revise hiring fees for specialists. The new charges have been communicated to all districts, said sources.
Officials said the incentive for government specialists working in the plains is Rs 1,500 per case, including Rs 500 for mobility support. This applies to Lower Segment Caesarean Sections (LSCS) and obstetric emergencies. For services at night, an additional Rs 500 towards mobility support will be provided. Similarly, Rs 2,000, including Rs 1,000 for mobility, will be paid to medical officers trained in Emergency Obstetric Care Services (EmOC) and Life Saving Anaesthesia Skills (LSAS).
For private specialists, those hired in hilly and ‘special’ regions like Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Nilgiris, and Kodaikanal will be eligible for Rs 4,500 per case, including Rs 1,000 for mobility. In obstetric emergencies, the incentive will be Rs 3,000 per case.
In the plains, the fixed payment for private specialists is Rs 3,000 per case, with Rs 1,500 for obstetric emergencies. If services are required during the night, an additional payment of Rs 1,000 will be provided. There are also plans to hire specialists for CEmONC centres on a contract with a salary of Rs 70,000.
“Previously, the incentive was Rs 2,000 with Rs 500 for transport. However, the practice of payment was not in place in many places. Doctors were hesitant as the incentive was low compared to private hospitals. Now, the revised charges encourage private doctors to help at government hospitals. However, it is still not much,” said a senior obstetrician and gynaecologist from Coimbatore.