The health services of State were affected as all the contractual workers working under National Health Mission went on complete strike on Thursday in support of their demands.
Meanwhile, the attempts of State Government to placate the workers failed as the talks between the agitating contractual workers and health secretary could not reach consensus on the issue. The NHM workers are working in many departments, hospitals, CHCs, PHC and projects of health department in the State health services. On their five point demand these workers are on a path of agitation from some days.
On Thursday the NHM workers intensified their agitation and included emergency services in their strike which they hitherto had exempted in view of public interest. On Thursday 630 nurses working in different departments of health services joined the strike.
The State President of NHM Contractual Employees association, Sanjay Chauhan told The Pioneer that a delegation of the association was called by the health secretary Bhupendra Kaur Olakh for discussion but since nothing was offered the association decided to continue with its agitation. He expressed resentment on the fact that the State Government is paying no heed to the genuine demands of the contractual works that are on peaceful and construction agitation. “It appears that the State Government listens to the demands of those who put pressure on it by deploying methods like scaling the overhead water tank. We employed methods of agitation like working for two hours more than usual duty hours for three days and holding blood donation camps in all parts of the State but it seems that the Government is not concerned at all,” he quipped. Chauhan said that the filing of police case against terminated NHM worker, Jaspal Rana on Wednesday shows the confrontationist mindset of the top health department officials.
However the hospitals located in remote areas bore the major brunt of the strike as more such workers are deployed there. When contacted the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Dehradun, Dr S P Agarwal claimed that the strike failed to have any impact in Dehradun district. He said that hospitals have been asked to take necessary alternate measures so that the common people are not affected.
There are more than 2100 contractual workers employed under NHM who are working in different projects and hospitals of State Government. On the demands like wage revision, health and life insurance cover and removal of pay disparity these workers are on a path of agitation. One of the major demands of the association is reinstatement of one of a NHM employee Jaspal Rana who was removed within three days of the public declaration by the state Chief Minister Harish Rawat that no NHM worker would be removed.