Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Aug 29: While appreciating the Government’s move of sanctioning ex-gratia in favour of a deceased doctor, National Health Mission Employees today demanded an immediate pay revision keeping in view the work they are performing amid COVID-19 pandemic across J&K.
The NHM employees have been long demanding that the Government must come up with a comprehensive job policy for them and should also fulfil their other demands.
However, the demands have not been fulfilled so far by the Government despite repeated assurances.
There have been several instances where the employees were assured that their demands will be addressed in time, but the employees that include doctors, paramedics and others continue to work against meagre salary and without any job security.
Interestingly, this time, the J&K Government said that the demand for salary revision will be taken up with the Ministry soon.
“While we are satisfied with the sanction of the ex-gratia amount in favour of one of our colleagues, Dr Shabir Malik who was working as a Medical Officer at Bandipora, we at the same time reiterate that our demands must be met without any further delay,” Abdul Rauoof, chief spokesperson J&K National Health Mission Employees Association (JKNHMEA) told Excelsior.
Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 10 lakh in the favour of the deceased doctor and that sum has been carved out of social security benefits that the NHM employees are entitled to.
Rauoof said that on top of these demands is the demand for pay revision which must be fulfilled without any further delay.
“We are also frontline warriors and while being that, we don’t have any job security and we are being made to work against meagre salary; the LG’s administration must take necessary measures for fulfilling long pending demands of NHM, RNTCHP and ACS employees,” he said.
Financial Commissioner, Health & Medical Education Department (H&ME), Atal Dulloo told Excelsior that their demands, particularly the salary revision, are under consideration and that the matter will be taken up with the Government of India.
“We want a salary revision to be accorded to them and for that, we will be taking up the matter with the Government of India (GoI),” he said.
Pertinently, JKNHMEA said that there are at least 32 employees who have died so far in the last 5 years due to various reasons and that their families are awaiting financial assistance from the Government.
“At least 60 NHM employees contacted COVID-19 infection and we have not seen anyone coming to their help for that matter. Revision of the salary for all NHM, RNTCHP and ACS employees is the least that the Government can do, to begin with,” JKNHMEA chief spokesperson said.
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