Medical and health services were completely paralysed on Monday due to day long strike called on by agitated Government doctors and staff nurses across the State. Among the worst sufferers were OPD (Out Patients Department) and IPD (In Patients Department) patients in district hospitals and health centres.
However, officials claimed that alternative arrangements were made for ensuring the speedy medical assistance to admitted patients in the Government hospitals.
Government doctors under the banner of PMHSA (Provincial Medical and Health Services Association) completely boycotted OPD and IPD services in the district hospitals and health centre across the state and threw life completely out of gear in the State.
The agitators lamented that memorandum highlighting their demands was submitted many times to officials but State Government is not taking any steps for redressing the grievances of the doctors.
Earlier, Government doctors shouted anti-State Government slogans in the Doon Hospital and later, locked down the medical, health and family welfare department directorate in order to register their protest. While addressing the agitators, Dr SK Goswami, State general secretary, PMHSA, said that memorandum highlighting their 14-year-long pending demands was submitted many times to top officials and public representatives, but steps are still awaited by the State Government for fulfilling the year long pending demands of association.
"Dynamic Assured Career Plan (DACP), cadre merge, transparency in transfer list, running only remotely situated health centres on PPP (Public Private Partnership), hike in post-mortem dues, increase the tenure of PG (Post Graduation) seats etc. are among the 14 year long pending demands of association," Dr Goswami said, adding that the association members have also decided to intensify their agitation in the near future in support of their year-long pending demands.
However, emergency and post-mortem services were excluded from the agitation. Meanwhile, Government staff nurses also boycotted the medical and health services in the government hospitals on Monday in support of their year long pending demands of association.
The agitated staff nursed under the banner of Uttarakhand Nurses Services Association (UNSA) also boycotted the medical and health services across the State.
Highly furious the callous approach of the State Government for not fulfilling their year long pending demands, agitated staff nurses cleared that they will intensify their agitation in the near future in support of their year long pending demands of association.
Addressing the gathering, luxmi Puneetha, officiating state president, UNSA said that State Government is not taking any effective steps for fulfilling the year long pending demands of association despite the fact that memorandum highlighting their demands was submitted many times to officials.
She said that the staff nurses withdrew their agitation only after receiving assurance from the higher officials that their demands would be fulfilled in the given time frame but steps are still awaited.
The association office bearers have been demanding hike in the grade pay of staff nurses, sisters and matrons. Meanwhile, State health department appointed
ANMs, BAMS intern and pharmacists and intern for medically assisting admitted patients in the Government hospitals across the State, but the agitated staff nurses claimed that alternative arrangements were not of much use for the patients. Krishna Rawat, state general secretary, UNSA, Rekha Bisht, Rameshwari, Jyoti, Pushpa Singh, Kusum Sharma, Dilmaya, Neelam, Parvati, Aruna Bisht etc. were also present.