Health minister Satpal Gosain has demanded implementation of Section 144 outside his house and the civil hospital after the multipurpose health workers,who were on a dharna outside his house,were lathicharged. He said,I am continuously taking up the demands of the health workers and despite that they staged a protest outside my house and misbehaved with women constables. They even manhandled them and their male counterparts as well due to which some action had to be initiated to disperse them. They have full right to stage a dharna,but not inside my house. They were trying to enter my house. He added,Moreover,they are workers on contract and were enrolled by the department for a time period. I have taken up matter with central and state governments to find out ways as how they can be regularised. So far about 1,800 have also been regularised. However the health workers today sat on a dharna outside the DCs office. Today Auxillary Nursing Midwives (ANMs) working on contract from across the state participated in the dharna outside DC office and they also gave memorandum to the DC Rahul Tiwari. In yesterdays lathicharge,eight women health workers have been booked by police and Kiranjot Kaur,President of ANMs union (on contract),Punjab said,We want cases to be withdrawn and suspension of ACP Naginder Rana,who ordered lathicharge on us yesterday. Four of us sustained fractures. The workers will also be meeting the CM Badal on September 26. The workers are sitting on chain hunger strike for the past one month and today 15 new workers joined this strike. Meanwhile the health workers employed under national rural health mission are getting Rs 6,000 as monthly salary while a permanent staff member gets Rs 15,000 as starting salary,said Harinder Dosanj,Chief advisor of ANM union. Work in hospitals suffered a lot after more ANMs joined the stir today morning. Even Auxillary Nursing Midwives on regular rolls are also sitting on strike in civil hospital regarding the hike in their scales and yet another strike is by TB workers employed under national rural health mission scheme. The workers want regularisation of their jobs. Health services in civil hospitals,primary health centres and dispensaries have been crippled following strike by various unions.
