New Delhi: Amid rising anxiety over job security, hundreds of contractual nurses working in Delhi government hospitals are set to stage a two-day protest next week, demanding clarity and assurance regarding the extension of their contracts, which are due to expire on June 30.
The protest, led by the Delhi Nurses Federation (DNF), will begin with a silent march outside the Delhi Secretariat on June 23 from 4 to 7 PM, followed by another demonstration at 2 PM on June 24. If their demands are not met, the protesting nurses have warned of launching an indefinite hunger strike beginning June 25.
Many of these nurses have been working under temporary contracts for over a decade, receiving yearly extensions. However, this year they were only granted a three-month extension in March, leaving them uncertain about their employment status beyond June. “We’ve given years of service, even through the toughest phases of the pandemic, but now we’re being left in limbo,” said Pawan Choudhary, a nursing officer at GTB Hospital.
DNF president Leeladhar highlighted the long-standing demand for a formal policy that addresses the concerns of contractual staff and offers a path to regularisation. He criticized the lack of structural reform despite the nurses’ critical role in public healthcare delivery.
Vandana Chaudhary of the All Delhi Contractual Nursing Officers Association expressed concern that many nurses, due to age limits, would no longer be eligible for reappointment through standard recruitment exams.
Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh said permanent staff are being hired via DSSSB but assured contractual nurses won’t be sidelined. Hospital vacancies are under review, and a formal request for urgent intervention
has been submitted.