Tripura unit of the National Health Mission (NHM) has declared a salary package increase for its 2,051 personnel serving across the state. The announcement, made during a press conference at the secretariat’s conference hall, was led by Dr. Debashish Basu, the Health Secretary.

The pay raise, set to go into effect from April 2023, is anticipated to necessitate an additional annual expenditure of Rs. 16.78 crore. Dr. Basu underscored that the revision of NHM staff salaries to align them with regular government employees has long been a priority for the state government.

“As part of our efforts to harmonize the compensation packages, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was approached to formulate a salary structure for NHM staff in Tripura,” Dr. Basu stated. A proposal seeking a lump sum fund for this revision, as requested by the HRH team of NHSRC, NHM, MoHFW, was submitted to the Ministry for inclusion in the Supplementary Plan of NHM for the fiscal year 2023-24.

Drawing on the NHM staff’s HR database, the HRH team of NHSRC conducted a preliminary analysis and submitted a concise proposal for revising their compensation, Dr. Basu informed reporters. He also highlighted those annual increments for staff with less than a year of service will be prorated to ensure a streamlined system.

Dr. Basu further explained that service delivery cadres would be assigned to facilities where they can effectively perform their designated duties. Hard area allowances will be granted only for the months when staff members are posted in such areas, not for the entire year.

Specialists practicing within specialty fields and serving at the CHC level, following IPHS 2022 guidelines, will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 10,000, but solely during their tenure at CHCs.

To achieve parity, differing increases have been designated for various districts, taking years of experience into account. In instances where the base salaries were considerably lower relative to educational qualifications and responsibilities, hikes ranging from 40% to 102% have been implemented.

The press conference was attended by D K Chakma, the Mission Director of the National Health Mission, Nupur Debbarma, Member Secretary of the National Health Mission, and other key stakeholders.