Shamli NHM Contractual Employees Boycott Work, Protest Over Seven Demands

National Health Mission contractual employees in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, have boycotted work and staged a protest at the Chief Medical Officer’s office over their demands. The employees have sought a solution to their seven-point demands and warned that they will march to Lucknow if their demands are not met.

The National Health Mission Contract Employees Union in Shamli has sent a letter to the Chief Minister, seeking a solution to the problems faced by more than one lakh contractual employees working across the state. Through the letter, the union has demanded that its seven-point demands be fulfilled at the earliest.

Union office-bearers said in the letter that contractual employees working under the National Health Mission have been playing an important role in strengthening the state’s healthcare system for the past several years. They said these employees have been continuously providing services at community and primary health centres in rural and remote areas, as well as at district hospitals.

The letter also highlighted the role played by NHM contractual employees during the global pandemic of coronavirus infection. It said that the employees continued to deliver health services to the general public without worrying about their own lives during that period.

According to the union, contractual employees have also played an important role in the successful implementation of several national programmes. These include vaccination, maternal and child health, tuberculosis eradication and the prevention of non-communicable diseases.

The union said that better arrangements related to salary structure, dearness allowance, transfers, EPF, social security and service security have been implemented for NHM contractual employees in states such as Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Against this backdrop, the union has demanded that an effective system should also be implemented in Uttar Pradesh in the interest of contractual health employees. The seven-point demands have been placed before the Chief Minister with the stated aim of protecting the wider interests of contractual employees and further strengthening the state’s healthcare system.

Union office-bearers said that an early solution to the demands would provide relief to NHM employees working across Uttar Pradesh. They also said that resolving these issues would help improve health services further.

The protesting employees have made it clear that if the demands are not fulfilled, they will move towards Lucknow.