Rahul Chakradhari is a pharmacist and a permanent employee who is a village at a primary health center (PHC) in Rasela. ChattisgarhKlose Gerband District Odisha Limit. However, the current circumstances have forced him to go beyond the purview of his duties. He is not just medicines; He is also determining them in some cases.
Chakradhari says National health mission (NHM) Worker. One of every three healthcare workers – from doctors and nurses to pathologists and assistant nurses – is not reporting for duty. Strike on more than 10 demands, in their 24th day, in important employment, better salary and good working conditions, have entered their 24th day, which affects health facilities at every level from district hospitals to Aogya temples (health and welfare centers).
In Rasela PHC, the second-and sole nurse in the hierarchy after the registered medical assistant-medical officer or doctor-prabhari, both constructive NHM activists, are on strike. A PHC serves 20,000–30,000 people according to NHM norms, and is considered the first contact point between the village community and a doctor. The doctor of Rasela PHC has been taken out to serve in a community health center elsewhere due to the strike-inspired decrease of medical professionals.
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“This is the season when there is a spike in cases of viral fever. I come to the hospital anywhere among 60 to 70 patients. I am forced to participate with Dr. Rahul Netam on the phone. The absence of a nurse means injection and complex maternal care cases as an obstacle,” they say.
Each health center has similar stories: Stald vaccinations, programs are not running, regular check-ups are affected, reporting of non-communicable diseases affect, and funds are used for specific projects.
The protesters have cited 10 demands, including permanent employment rather than contract-based employment, 27% increment and the installation of a public health cadre. The Government of Chhattisgarh claims that it has fulfilled five demands including increment, but only 5%. NHM activists say they have increased in various ways, including working in barely reaching places and regular government employees do not have security nets.
NHM workers have been opposing their respective district headquarters since August 18. “Samvida Matlab Shoshan (contract means exploitation),” A speaker at the Tuta protest ground in Raipur says that as an enthusiastic herd of protesters as an enthusiastic herd as “Ladenge, Jetanenette (we will fight, we will win, we will win) to answer.” Through acts like songs and a water Satyagrah, they refuse to drink water, they demonstrate their pain. In some districts, they also protest outside the party in power in the Bharatiya Janata Party office, center and state.
demand and supply
“NHM (East National Rural Health Mission) began on a mission mode for breeding and child health with 2,000 employees in 2005. It gradually expanded to health care and has only increased roles and personal responsibilities. We are demanding equality with other health workers we are doing, and equally well trained, and equally well,”
Since then, he has been part of groups seeking permanent employment for contractual employees, which include both medical and non-medical staff in 100 categories. One has to rent at the state and district level.
Also read: NHM extends the workforce, curb many public health concerns: Center reports to Cabinet
There are currently 16,000 NHM workers, most of which they are keeping out at the District Program Manager (Coordinator), some new zois, and motherhood or other long -term holidays, they say. According to a senior government official, 60% of the fund for NHM comes from the center, while the state does the remaining 40% foot. The official says that administrative control lives with the state.
Sinha says that the immediate elbow came from a political commitment to protest. “In its manifesto, the BJP promised that a committee would be formed for regularization of all contractual employees. We protested with similar demands during the tenure of the previous Congress government, and after that, the BJP leaders supported the reason for today’s cabinet ministers, the reason,” they say. The BJP formed the state government in 2023. He said that before going on strike, the association had submitted 160 memorandum to the government.
Protesters outside a BJP district office in Gariaband. Several health workers said that the ruling BJP, which formed a government in the state in 2023, promised to regularize its jobs during the assembly election campaign. , Photo Credit: Shubamoy Alexander
A spilover effect of protest is also visible. An employee, who is an employee, Block Medical Officer Dr. Kirtan Sahu says that the non-communicable disease program has taken a serious hit as all 36 community health officers of the block are protesting. At the district hospital in Raipur in Pandri region, a staff nurse says they have been burdened and they usually shift many more nights that they usually do.
Gariaband District President of NHM Workers Union Amrit Bhonsle cited a security guard case injected to a patient at the district hospital – an incident that the state’s High Court took cognizance – indicating that it was a serious violation of “medical morality and professional standards”.
Leaders like Sinha say that other states like Manipur have regularly absorbed NHM workers. In Madhya Pradesh, they are not permanent employees, but still work on grade salary, gratuity, compassionate basis, and job protection till the age of 62 years. A government official, however, states that in the case of MP, a policy was made for all contractual workers.
People are suffering
Gariaband and across Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, many Aogya temples are closed. Some health centers in Raipur tolerate a signboard expressing regrets for inconvenience, citing the strike of contractual employees. Others, such as in the mind area on the outskirts of Rapur, are barely a few kilometers away from the protest site in Nawa Raipur, neither with patients nor NHM employees.
Some of these areas also have no private health care system. The report of a Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) of India stated in the state assembly last year that there was a lack of overall human resources of 34% (25,793) against the approved strength (74,797). It was also said that the government of Chhattisgarh (GOCG) had not prepared any human resources for the health care sector to ensure the availability of doctors, nurses and paramedics in healthcare institutions as per the standards of Indian public health standards.
Just above Rasela PHC, a physiotherapist Devashree Dhruv, a physiotherapist posted in the Chhura Community Health Center, is on strike. She expressed regret not to participate with a three -year -old girl suffering from cerebral palsy as the child made “decent progress with regular visits and proper care”.
It is the same for Anju Sahu in the 50s who have recently undergone knee surgery and have only reached the CHC with the help of a walker to learn from the pole that she will not give her physiotherapy due to the strike. For the last session, the elderly woman moved to Raipur about 100 km away.
trials and tribulations
Even in centers away from PHCs, the entire population in small villages depends on health services that reach them. A District Program Manager, music, who works on a contract in Narayanpur district of rebel-hit Bastar region, a district program manager, says that the health workers of the last mile have an additional financial burden such as themselves.
Those who are affected by the strike include pregnant women and families living in remote villages. , Photo Credit: Shubamoy Alexander
“We have to go to schools and Anganwadi centers in remote areas in walking areas through forests, rivers, and mountains. If there is a road, it is so fat that our vehicles get stuck, in which case our own clothes become completely dirty, add the cost of washing and repair,” she says as she sits on strike.
Their vehicles are mostly individual two wheelers, on which they carry essential commodities such as medicines, registers and health cards. Brahmotia says, “Children suffering from serious diseases should be brought several times by our employees in big hospitals like Raipur (250 km away) or Jagaddalpur (120 km), by our employees, our employees several times by our employees.”
“I am a doctor and yet my monthly income of IS 25,000 is barely enough to end. Imagine being in a health setup and is unable to take health care for my own. I am a long time over a surgery, which will cost me ₹ 7 lakhs and only one way is to sell a lot to sell my ancestors’ land. Are.
Still going
In the first week of September, 25 leaders of the protest, including Sinha, were suspended from work. It was combined with mass resignation, almost all the protesters symbolically stated that they were all resigning.
Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jiswal has so far said that five out of 10 demands have been accepted and NHM workers have been appealed to return to work.
Sinha says that while other contractual workers of the state did not get any salary increase between 2018 and 2022, NHM workers received 5% annually based on their performance. One of the demands is to make the evaluation process transparent.
Workers are demanding a written order for the government’s announcements and until all the 10 demands are met, they intend to continue the protest. Sinha says, “We have come a long way and we will not give up as this important point.”
