Namma Clinic staff threaten shutdown over unpaid salaries

Bengaluru: Bengaluru’s ambitious Namma Clinic programme, launched to provide free primary healthcare services to economically weaker sections, is facing a major financial crisis with doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians alleging that they have not received salaries for the past three months.

The prolonged delay has sparked resentment among healthcare workers, who have warned of suspending services if the pending wages are not released by the end of this month.

The crisis is believed to have arisen due to delays in the release of funds under the cost-sharing arrangement between the Centre and the state government. Healthcare workers say the uncertainty has pushed hundreds of employees into financial distress, affecting their ability to meet household expenses, pay rent and support their families.

More than 240 Namma Clinics are currently functioning across Bengaluru under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), providing free outpatient consultations, basic diagnostic services and essential medicines to thousands of patients every day. Over 1,000 doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and support staff are employed under the scheme.

The Namma Clinic initiative was launched during the previous BJP government with financial support shared equally by the Centre and the State.

However, employees allege that while the Centre’s share of the funds is yet to be released, the State Government has also not disbursed the required amount, resulting in a severe cash crunch.

Staff members claimed that repeated representations to officials have yielded little progress, with authorities citing delays in fund allocation. Many employees said they have continued to discharge their duties despite not receiving salaries for three consecutive months, but warned that the situation has become unsustainable.

Responding to the issue, Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao acknowledged the delay and attributed it to technical issues in the release of shared funds between the Centre and the State Government.

He said the delay was purely procedural and assured employees that efforts were underway to release the pending salaries at the earliest. He appealed to healthcare workers not to discontinue services, stating that all necessary steps were being taken to resolve the issue.

Despite the assurance, employees have expressed dissatisfaction, saying similar promises had been made earlier without any tangible outcome. They have now warned that if the pending salaries are not credited before the end of the month, they will be left with no option but to suspend services across Namma Clinics.

Any disruption in services is likely to affect thousands of patients, particularly people from economically weaker sections who depend on the clinics for free consultations, medicines and basic diagnostic facilities. Health workers have urged both the Centre and the State Government to resolve the funding dispute immediately to ensure uninterrupted public healthcare services in Bengaluru.