Public hospitals accused of underpaying outsourced staff

Punjab's hospitals are facing mounting criticism over the alleged exploitation of outsourced security and sanitation workers, who continue to be paid far below the legally mandated minimum wage despite full payments being released to contractors, 24NewsHD TV reported on Friday. 

According to multiple complaints, private contractors hired by hospitals to provide security and cleaning services are receiving payments calculated in line with the government’s minimum wage.

However, workers on the ground report receiving only a fraction of that amount, raising concerns of systemic wage skimming and weak oversight.

Security guards deployed at government hospitals said they are being paid as little as 20,000 rupees per month, while sanitation workers report earnings of around 15,000 rupees, both significantly below the official minimum wage of 40,000 rupees.

“The payments are issued in full, but the workers are not getting their due share,” said a hospital staff member familiar with the contracting process, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“There is  a clear gap between what is paid and what reaches the workers.”

The insiders said the issue reflected broader structural flaws in outsourcing arrangements across the public sector, where third-party contractors often operate with limited scrutiny.

They argued that vulnerable workers, many of whom lack formal contracts or job security, are left with little recourse.

Despite repeated complaints by employees, neither the hospital administrations nor the health department had taken effective action to enforce wage compliance, workers alleged.

Officials have yet to publicly respond to the accusations.

Reporter: Zahid Chaudhry