T.N. physiotherapists welcome pay hike, call for benefits and timely payments

The Indian Association of Physiotherapists – Tamil Nadu Branch (TN IAP) has welcomed the State government’s decision to increase the monthly salary of physiotherapists working under the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme to ₹23,000.

Thanking the Chief Minister, the association requested that the revised salary be implemented from the current month. Under the scheme, an incentive of ₹4,500 was originally fixed for providing home-based physiotherapy services to five beneficiaries per day. However, the target has now been increased to 10 beneficiaries, while the incentive remains unchanged. In some districts, incentive payments are also delayed, it said, urging authorities to ensure timely monthly disbursal.

Also, physiotherapists working in Urban Primary Health Centres were currently engaged on an outsourcing basis and should be brought under the District Health Society and provided the same salary structure as those under the scheme, the association said. It also called for social security benefits such as Provident Fund and insurance. TN IAP also suggested announcing State-wide helpline numbers so that beneficiaries can directly register to receive services under the scheme.

Additonally, the association said physiotherapists working with children with intellectual disabilities under the Integrated School Education Scheme had not received any salary increase for the past six years and urged the government to take immediate steps to revise their pay.