SRINAGAR: The agitation by employees of the National Health Mission (NHM) continued across Jammu and Kashmir for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday, with around 12,000 workers remaining off duty in support of their long-pending demands.
The strike has affected healthcare activities at several locations, with protesting employees insisting that they would continue their agitation until the government provides a concrete and written assurance on their demands.
The employees have been seeking revision of their remuneration, removal of pay disparities with NHM workers in other states, a comprehensive policy for job security and regularisation, besides social security measures including EPF, ESI, insurance coverage, leave salary and post-retirement benefits.
As NHM employees continued to remain on strike, their absence affected routine services and created difficulties for patients at various health institutions.
The employees said they were not seeking any immediate or unreasonable benefit but wanted the government to recognise their contribution to the healthcare system and provide them with a fair and secure service structure.
“We have been working for years in hospitals, health centres and different national health programmes, often under difficult conditions. Our demand is that the government should address the disparity in our salaries and provide us with a clear policy for our future,” protesting employees said.
Another group of employees said repeated assurances had failed to provide them with a permanent solution. “We have heard assurances on several occasions, but the basic issues remain unresolved. This time, we want a written commitment and a clear timeline so that there is no ambiguity about what will happen to our demands,” they said.
Employees also maintained that they understood the difficulties being faced by patients because of the strike but argued that the responsibility for resolving the crisis rested with the authorities.
