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Healthcare services in Bhalessa and adjoining areas have been affected after NHM employees launched a fresh 72-hour pen-down strike on Saturday, just a day after their previous 72-hour strike ended.
With NHM staff staying away from regular duties, patients and their families are facing difficulties in accessing healthcare services. The strike has also put additional pressure on the available permanent staff and health facilities in the area. Block Medical Officer (BMO) Gandoh said the health department was managing the situation by deploying available staff and cancelling leaves, except maternity and medical leave. Field staff have also been assigned duties at hospitals by temporarily putting some of their regular fieldwork on hold. We are managing, but continuing in this situation is tough, the BMO said, explaining that NHM employees play an important role in keeping healthcare services running smoothly. According to him, all patients coming to the facilities are being attended to, and no major crisis has emerged so far. However, the shortage of staff is particularly being felt at some sub-centres where there are already very few personnel. The BMO said facilities with permanent staff were continuing to function, while some centres that have no permanent staff have faced greater difficulties. Despite this, the administration is making efforts to keep services running. Without NHM, it is very difficult to continue, he said, adding that the department was currently managing the situation with the available manpower. NHM employees, meanwhile, said their demands include equal pay for equal work, a fair transfer policy and regularisation of their services. One of the protesting employees said they have been working around the clock and continue to report for duty during emergencies irrespective of weather conditions. Our demands include equal work, equal pay and implementation of a fair transfer policy. We want to be permanent. If they cant make us permanent, at least increase our salary, she said. She said NHM workers serve during summers, winters and the monsoon and are among the first to respond whenever there is an emergency in the health sector. But when it is about increasing salary, what is the problem? she questioned, adding that employees would continue their protest until their demands were addressed. The employee also warned that if their demands remain unresolved, NHM workers could consider intensifying the agitation and may go on a hunger strike in the future. A patient who came for treatment also urged the government to engage with the employees and resolve their demands at the earliest to prevent further disruption to essential medical services. (ANI)
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