Furious over the lethargic approach of the State Health Department for not fulfilling their demands, scores of unemployed BAMS pharmacists staged protest in Dehradun on Tuesday. They have also threatened to intensify their agitation if the State Health Department does not take effective steps to fill the vacant posts, which is among the main pending demands among all the year long pending demands of association.
The agitated unemployed BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery) pharmacists under the banner of Unemployed Diploma Ayurveda Pharmacists took out rally in Dehradun on Tuesday. The agitators were trying to protest at Yamuna Colony based State Health Minister’s residence but stopped by the district administration near his house.
The agitators were demanding direct talk with the Minister but were detained by the City Police on security grounds. The agitators were demanding to appoint them along with the newly appointed BAMS doctors in the Government Health Centres operating in State. The agitators lamented that the 150 posts of BAMS pharmacists are vacant under NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) but the State Government is not taking any steps for filling the vacant posts in the health centres in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand.
According to them, the pharmacists are catering the medical needs of those villagers who are living in remote areas as the State is facing acute shortage of MBBS medical officers. They also demanded from the State Health department to issue license to the BAMS pharmacists in order to provide medical and health facilities to villagers, who are living in the remote and mountainous areas. They also demanded Ayurvedic health centres in the remote and mountainous areas of Uttarakhand.
The agitators lamented that memorandum highlighting their demands was submitted many times to top bureaucrats and public representatives but steps are yet to be taken by the State Health Department for redressing their grievances. The agitators also shouted anti-Government slogans during the protest and also threatened to intensify their agitation if their demands are not met by the State Government in the given time frame.
They said that they were agitating for couple of days at Raipur Bus Stand but steps are still awaited by the State Government for fulfilling their year long pending demands. Subhash Uniyal, Vijay Pal, Krishna Pandit, Azad, Deepak Thapliyal, Shashi Bhano Prakash,Anoop Vandana, Usha and many more were present.