NHM employees demand regularisation, salary hike

STATE TIMES NEWS

DODA: The National Health Mission Employees working in Health Department on Sunday demanded immediate formulation of job policy, salary revision for all the employees working under the scheme.
Addressing a press conference at Distt Hqr Doda, the Former District President NHM Employees Association Doda Faizan A Tramboo said that the employees under NHM, RNTCP, JKSACS and other sub schemes under NHM like NCD, RBSK, IDSP etc are working since the last 15 years in Jammu & Kashmir and are working in different capacities included that of Doctors, Paramedics and Management Staff.
Tramboo said that the NHM Employees has put all the demands before the Govt so many times for early redressal and has also hit the roads score of times in order to press for their genuine demands which include formulation of job security and pay hike.
The then Govt constituted a committee of three top brass officers of Principal Secretary, Sub Committee of three Directors and Additional Sec in 2017 and 2018 to discuss and examine the issues like regularization policy in which one the committee in 2017 already forwarded a draft proposal before the Govt through Finance Deptt for approval, said Faizan Tramboo.
The employees informed the media that since then no further meeting was conducted by the higher ups to discuss the burning issues of regularization followed by other genuine demands.
They however informed that, the NHM Employees of all cadres are working tirelessly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in longer shifts and with utmost dedication who are bravely leading the battle on frontline, also putting their precious lives at risk, but it’s very unfortunate our demands of regularization have yet not been considered by the concerned authorities, so it’s high time for the Govt to resolve the issues NHM Employees who are confronting from long run, said Dr Sadeeq Akbar, a Sr Doctor working under NHM since 2007.
The NHM employees further informed the media that they are working together with their regular counterparts equally at the risk and threat of their life, having similar qualification, experience and working hours, salary four times higher than than us apart from social security and other benefits, but till date all the previous successive govts and present Lt Guv led state administration has not taken any favorable step on framing any kind of draft job policy for them, thus by affecting their social standing and psychological well being.
The employee’s pined hope that the State Administration led by Lt Guv and higher ups of Health Deptt would surely consider their demands and acknowledge the dedicated services rendered by the NHM Employees in the UT in odd and normal times.
The Employees also demanded that the Govt should take comprehensive measure and initiative on the pattern of Haryana, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh where the Govt have taken major steps in the interest of employees working under NHM.
However, the NHM Employees made an appeal to Lt Governor, Concerned Advisor, Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioner Health & Medical Education and Mission Director NHM to expedite the resolution of their genuine demands with deliverance of justice.
Those present in the press conference included Mashhood Latif, Dr Nasir Masood, Dr Amjad Iqbal, Dr Touseef Aslam, Ajay Singh, Ashok Shan, Surinder Kumar and others.