J&K National Health Mission Employees on Two-Day Strike

SRINAGAR: More than 8,000 people working under the Jammu and Kashmir National Health Mission (NHM), Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) and National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) have gone on a two-day strike, seeking redressal of their long-pending grievances and against non-fulfilment of the commitment to regularise employees made by the government in January 2018.

On Monday, as part of the two-day strike, hundreds of employees held a protest in Pratap Park, Srinagar, the government’s apathy towards their demands. 

The employees said that promises made by former J&K Health Minister Bali Bhagat are yet to be fulfilled and the report regarding regularisation is pending in the secretariat.

Apart from the formulation of a regularisation policy, the employees are also demanding immediate implementation of the Supreme Court’s order of “equal-pay-for-equal-work, benefit of the 7th Pay Commission following the Haryana pattern, full leave package, removal of pay disparity and medical cover.

Speaking to NewsClick, Wahid Wani, executive member of the state’s NHM, said people who were working with NHM do not have any job security and several people were still waiting for pending wages. “If an employee dies there is no plan that can help their families. Many employees who are serving in the department are now in their late 50s and are still waiting for regularisation,” he added.

Wani said since there was no response from the government, the professional workforce had been forced to take to the streets, adding that children of many employees weren’t able to attend school due to pending fees.

The government had constituted a group of the officers to look into the employee demands, but “there has been no movement whatsoever on this front and the group has even blocked the benefits already committed by then Health,” an employee toldNewsClick.

The employees said despite pending wages and other benefits, they had performing their duties to serve the people and were ready to face any hardship, but all they wanted was security and wages, which were their rights.

Meanwhile, hospital and health sectors across J&K were severely affected due to the strike.

Hajira Begum, a 48-year old patient, told NewsClick that she travelled more than 100 kilometres for the consultation but found the health centres deserted.

Commenting on the strike, she told NewsClick that patients were directed to pay for tests and entry which go to the government, adding that people serving in department must be paid. Their demands are genuine and the government shouldn’t delay meeting them, she added.

Meanwhile, the employees warned the government that if their demands were neglected again, they would go for a prolonged strike.