Over 14,000 National Health Mission contractual staffers quit after Chhattisgarh govt sacks 25 agitators

Over 14,000 striking contractual officers and employees of the National Health Mission (NHM) in Chhattisgarh have submitted their resignations after the government sacked 25 NHM staffers leading the agitation, one of their representatives said on Friday.

The NHM staffers have been agitating since August 18 to press for their demands, including regularisation of services and improved working conditions.

Instead of addressing their long-pending demands, the government has chosen to impose punitive measures, said an office-bearer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh NHM Karamchari Sangh.

The National Health Mission aims to provide universal access to equitable, affordable and quality healthcare services. A wide range of health workers, including doctors and nurses, are engaged under this programme.

The strike has hit multiple health services, including immunisation, neonatal care, physiotherapy, screening of non-communicable disease, birth and death certificates issuance, tuberculosis medicine distribution, at several places in the state, health officials said.

According to government officials, the executive body of the State Health Committee, in its meeting on August 13, accepted four of the 10 demands raised by the contractual NHM employees.

A committee has also been formed to examine three more demands, while the remaining three, including regularisation of services, will be decided at the highest level of government, they said.

Despite repeated notices, when the protesting employees did not resume duty, 25 of them were dismissed from service, an official said.

As per the termination order issued on September 3, the act of defying the notices and continuing with the protest amounts to “misconduct as per the Chhattisgarh Civil Services Conduct Rules, 1965” and violation of “clause 34.3 of the Human Resource Policy, 2018”.

“You were given an opportunity to report under natural justice, which was not followed. Hence, your contractual appointment stands terminated with immediate effect,” it added.

Among those dismissed are Chhattisgarh Pradesh NHM Karamchari Sangh president Dr Amit Kumar Miri, general secretary Kaushlesh Tiwari, and Pranntiya Sanrakshak Hemant Kumar Sinha.

“This repressive action (termination order) by the administration is completely unfair and a hindrance to dialogue. Angered by this move, 14,678 officers and employees of NHM across the state have so far submitted their resignations,” Sinha told PTI on Friday.

He said the strike would continue until their demands were met. “Around 16,000 contractual NHM employees are on indefinite strike, and the remaining will also submit their resignations soon. We will hold a press conference in Raipur on Saturday to share further course of action,” he added.

Dr Miri said the NHM employees have been agitating within the ambit of constitutional rights since August 18 over their 10-point demands, which also include the creation of a public health cadre, grade pay and compassionate appointments.

“The agitation has become a compulsion after submitting memoranda 160 times without receiving any response from the administration. During the protest, warning letters and dismissal orders are being sent on WhatsApp at great speed. If the same urgency had been shown in resolving our demands, this situation would not have arisen,” he alleged.

He also claimed that the administration does not want the government to establish dialogue with employees or arrive at a solution.

State’s Mission director, NHM, Dr Priyanka Shukla, told PTI that the August 13 executive committee meeting had already addressed many of the demands.

“Two demands – transparency in confidential report (CR) evaluation and 30 days of paid leave in cases of exigency or serious health issues – have been fulfilled. Two more demands, a 27 per cent salary hike and a minimum of Rs 10 lakh cashless health insurance, have also been accepted and are under process for implementation,” she said.

Shukla added that a state-level committee headed by the NHM joint director has been formed to examine the demands concerning grade pay, compassionate appointments and transfer policy. This committee will review HR policies applicable to contractual employees in other departments and present recommendations at the next executive committee meeting, she said.

“The remaining three demands – regularisation, creation of a public health cadre and reservation in recruitment to regular posts – can only be taken up at the highest level of government,” she said, adding that NHM employees have continued their strike despite their several demands being considered.