Scores of National Health Mission (NHM) workers tendered their resignations on Friday in protest against the termination of 25 staffers amid an indefinite strike by more than 14,000 contractual employees that has been going on for the last 19 days.
The 25 staffers were terminated from service after they were served multiple notices to report back to work, officials said. The contract employees have been on strike, demanding regularisation or grade pay like regular health workers, as well as increments and other benefits.
Hemant Kumar Sinha, one of the leaders from the Chhattisgarh Pradesh NHM Karamchari Sangh, told The Indian Express, “I have been terminated from service multiple times, including on Thursday. We have 10 demands, and our top demand is regularisation or giving us a grade pay like other regular health workers. Secondly, we want proper increment, cashless benefits on health insurance like regular health department employees, time-bound salary while on medical leave, and a proper transfer policy.”
Sources in the health department said officials would soon meet the protest leaders for discussions. The sources said the strike has not severely impacted health services in the state, but acknowledged that the workload of regular health staff has increased.
A senior doctor from a government district hospital in Raipur said, “There are some NHM workers who are working. Not all are on strike. The work is not severely affected, but the workload has increased. Two people are doing the work of three people.”
The state’s NHM Mission Director, Dr Priyanka Shukla, told The Indian Express that an executive committee meeting on August 13 had already addressed many of the demands. “Two demands — transparency in confidential report (CR) evaluation and 30 days of paid leave in cases of exigency or serious health issues — have been fulfilled. Two more demands, a 27% salary hike and a minimum of Rs 10 lakh cashless health insurance, have also been accepted and are under process for implementation,” she said.
Shukla also said that a state-level committee, headed by the NHM joint director, has been formed to examine demands related to grade pay, compassionate appointments, and transfer policy. This committee will review HR policies applicable to contractual employees in other departments and present recommendations at the next executive committee meeting.
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“The remaining three demands — regularisation, creation of a public health cadre, and reservation in recruitment to regular posts — can only be taken up at the highest level of government,” she said, adding that despite several demands being considered, the contract employees have continued their strike.
