It has been a while since the health workers in Chhattisgarh have been on strike. At least 14,000 contractual healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses are choosing not to report for work till their demands are fulfilled.
What do they want? To start with, they seek permanent jobs. Regularisation tops the list of about ten demands that the workers have presented. Reservation in recruitment to regular posts is also one of the demands. The protestors also want better remuneration and improved working conditions. They reportedly wish to be treated at par with regular workers in terms of cashless benefits worth Rs 10 lakhs under health insurance, paid medical leave, and a proper transfer policy, in addition to a 27 per cent salary increment. While some demands have already been met, many still remain to be addressed.
The strike has caused a dearth of staff and impacted services across health and wellness centres as well as district hospitals across the state. It has led to extra workload on the permanent or regular staff.
Amid the indefinite strike that has been on for almost three weeks now, many of these workers under the National Health Mission (NHM) put in their resignations as a form of protest against the termination of 25 employees who failed to return to duty despite being issued several notices to do so.
The Health Department, however, maintains that not all NHM workers are part of the strike, and that work is not significantly affected. However, officials do admit that the workload has gone up for the existing staff. A solution is expected to be arrived at soon with officials planning to meet the protestors/leaders.
