New Delhi: The Civil Surgeon of Sirsa, Haryana, has issued a directive stating that the employees working under the National Health Mission cannot take compensatory leave for duties performed on weekends and government holidays. Doctors termed this as “totally unacceptable”.
“There is no provision for Compensatory Off for employees working under the National Health Mission (NHM). Therefore, under no circumstances shall any NHM employee be granted Compensatory Off,” read the letter, dated 14 July.
The letter has been addressed to senior medical officers, medical officer in-charges and heads of government health facilities in Sirsa district. The Civil Surgeon’s office said if anyone has availed any compensatory off, it will be treated as causal leave.
“If any NHM employee has availed or been granted Compensatory Off from April 2026 till the date of this order, such leave shall be converted into Casual Leave (CL) as per rules, and a compliance report should be sent to this office immediately,” the letter added.
Officials have also been asked to submit a compliance report to the Civil Surgeon’s office immediately.
The letter additionally instructs all health institutions to ensure that no compensatory leave is approved or granted to NHM employees in the future.
This letter has drawn criticism from doctors nationwide, who argue that they are routinely required to work beyond their regular duty hours, including on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, particularly amid staff shortages and emergency medical requirements.
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‘We need rest’
Doctors in Sirsa have demanded that the order be withdrawn and warned that denying rest to healthcare workers could adversely affect public health services.
“Doctors are human too; we also need rest. Continuous additional duties, followed by denial of leave, are increasing mental and physical exhaustion,” said a doctor from Sirsa, on the condition of anonymity.
Posting the order on X, doctors appealed to the district administration to intervene.
“Doctors are being pushed to have extra duties but no compensatory off in Sirsa, Haryana. This is an order from the CMO Sirsa which is totally unacceptable,” the post said. It tagged the Sirsa Deputy Commissioner, the district administration, and Sirsa MLA Gokul Setia, seeking urgent intervention.
Compensatory leaves are generally granted to government employees who are required to work on designated holidays or weekly offs, allowing them to take time off on another day. However, the Sirsa order says the NHM framework does not provide for such leaves.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)