KNZ NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR 3 January : While urging the Government to immediately fulfil its promises made with National Health Mission (NHM) employees Renowned political social and youth Activist Syed Aijaz Kashani said the continuos protests of the NHM employees has hit the health services in the state badly. In a statement issued to press from here he said the strike has affected the health services to a large extent with patients facing a lot of inconvenience in rural as well as urban areas. Government must fulfill its promises made with the NHM employees and immediately formulate a policy to regularize them. There is a dire need to chalk out a regularization mechanism for employees, including doctors, paramedical and management staff working under NHM. The NHM employees are paid only one third of emoluments in comparison to their counterparts in the state which needs to be enhanced substantially keeping in view the nature of their duties and price escalations. These employees are working on meager salaries for last more than a decade and they don’t have any job security. The Government’s callous attitude towards the NHM staff is unfortunate as they are the backbone of the health services in the state and work with utmost dedication. Earlier, this year after a similar protest by the NHM employees, the government had formed a four-member committee asking it to draft a proposal regarding their regularization before May 2017. However, unfortunately, the promise was never kept, forcing the NHM employees to again come on streets. Meanwhile, Syed Aijaz Kashani urged the State Government to take immediate steps to regularize ASHA workers as government health workers, as it is they who are contributing a lot to make the NHM a success scheme.
