India, Sept. 4 -- Two weeks of the strike by contractual staff under the National Health Mission (NHM) have severely disrupted public health services in Mumbai and across the state of Maharashtra.

Around 1,250 NHM employees posted within municipal corporation limits and another 300 at the state Arogya Bhavan, including staff from the finance department, have joined the agitation. These 300 were already sitting in protest at Azad Maidan from August 19 before the Maratha quota protest began, and will resume their demonstration tomorrow.

Together, this makes up over 60% of the total 2,400 NHM employees in Mumbai.

The shutdown has crippled routine immunisation drives, dialysis, haematology services, including haemophilia treatment, tubercu...