The Nagrik Sangharsh Samiti has threatened to intensify its agitation after December 10 if the State Government fails to take necessary action to appoint doctors and technicians to the vacant posts in the District hospital and women’s hospital in Pauri district HQ.
The NSS members have been protesting in support of this demand since Tuesday.
As part of the first phase of the agitation, members of the NSS and different organisation including the joint Sangharsh Samiti of nine villages, the Pauri business association and others have been participating in a sit-in demonstration since Tuesday. The NSS has decided to intensify the agitation after coming Tuesday by undertaking protest rally, calling for a bandh, relay hunger strike which would subsequently become an indefinite period hunger strike, if the demand of the public for appointment of doctors to the two main government hospitals in Pauri is not met by the Government.
The NSS had earlier submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister, Health Minister and Chief Secretary demanding that the appointments be made to the vacant posts of doctors, specialist doctors and technicians in the district hospitals within a span of fifteen days. With the authorities failing to take the required action, the organisation members and locals launched an agitation on December 3.
The NSS president Jagdish Singh Bisht stressed that the annoyance of the people of Pauri district headquarters has peaked due to the apathetic attitude of the Uttarakhand Government which has forced the people to protest. The district hospital has become only a referral centre and even the economically weaker people are forced to visit other and expensive facilities with proper medical treatment facilities in places across the State including Dehradun.
The people had first protested on this issue during the term of the previous BJP led State Government.
However, after 115 days the agitation had ended after six doctors were appointed to the district hospital and government assurance regarding execution of necessary measures to provide proper medical facilities at the hospital.
The NSS has stressed that the agitation will be intensified in phases after December 10 if the Government fails to make the required appointments and ensure that proper medical treatment facilities are made available to the public at the district hospital.