Angry over the callous approach of the State Health Department for not fulfilling the year-long pending demands of pharmacists, the agitated pharmacists boycotted services in the Government-run hospitals on Monday.
They have also threatened to intensify their agitation, if their demands are not met by the department in the given time frame. The agitated pharmacists boycotted the medical and health services from 8 am to 10 am in support of their pending demands in Doon Hospital on Monday.
After raising the anti department slogans, the agitated pharmacists lamented that the memorandum highlighting their demands was submitted many times to public representatives and top bureaucrats but their year long demands are still pending. Due to the two hour strike called on by the Uttarakhand Diploma Pharmacist Association, (UDPA), patients who visited district hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres, first referral units, health centres were among the major sufferers. The patients were forced to wait till the agitated pharmacists resumed their duties. Couple of patients, who consulted medical officers in the Government hospitals purchased life saving drugs from the private chemist shops near the Doon Hospital.
The agitators expressed their concern over the issue that the pharmacists had earlier called off their agitation after receiving assurance from the department officials that their year long pending demands would be fulfilled by the department but steps are yet to be taken by the department to redress their grievances. Pay anomaly, risk allowances, appointment of pharmacists, issue of seniority list, service rule, timely promotion etc are the pending demands of Association. After expressing his concern over the callous approach of the State health department for not redressing the grievances of the pharmacists, BS Kalura, State President, UDPA, memorandum was submitted many times to top bureaucrats and public representatives but the government is yet to take effective steps to fulfill the year long pending demands of association. He said that the agitated pharmacists are in a mood of decisive show and will withdraw their agitation only after year long demands would be fulfilled by the State Government.
“Various posts have been lying vacant in the government hospitals in all the 13 districts of the State but steps are still awaited by the Government for fulfilling the vacant posts,” he said, adding that pharmacists are catering the medical and health needs of those villagers who are living in the remote areas of the State. BS Payal, CS Mahra, SS Chauhan, DP Thaplilyal, S Nakoti, SS Aswal and many more were present.