Patients facing brunt of govt apathy, says Selja

Tribune News Service

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Karnal, August 6

Sirsa MP and general secretary of the All India Congress, Kumari Selja, said making promises and not keeping them was a habit of the BJP government in the state. The NHM employees were on strike in support of their demands and they were risking their lives in Sirsa by climbing water tanks to ‘wake up deaf and dumb government’ from its sleep.

Demands justified

Kumari Selja said the employees demanded regularisation of jobs soon. The wage discrepancy under the bylaws should be corrected and the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission should be provided. The job security should be ensured for all NHM employees until the age of 58 and the employees should be given gratuity benefits. Their demand for regularisation was justified. By ignoring this, the government was being unfair to them.

Due to the strike, the health services in the state are at a standstill, putting patients’ lives at risk. “If the government is even slightly concerned, it should resolve the issue by talking to the NHM employees,” said Selja in a statement.

She said the strike had paralysed the health services, impacting services such as anemia programme, vaccination, ambulance services, cancer patient examinations, and the registration of pregnant women. The government was adamant and indifferent to the NHM employees, which would cost the government dearly in the Assembly elections, she said.

Selja said the employees demanded regularisation of jobs soon. The wage discrepancy under the bylaws should be corrected and the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission should be provided. The job security should be ensured for all NHM employees until the age of 58 and the employees should be given gratuity benefits. Their demand for regularisation was justified. By ignoring this, the government was being unfair to them.

She also accused the BJP government in the state for ruining the health services. Selja said as per their announcement, no new medical college was started in any district of the state so far. In Chhainsa, Faridabad, a medical college was started in name only, which in reality was nothing more than a referral centre. The government forgot about Sirsa Medical College after getting it inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu.

Selja said before the BJP came to power in 2014, there were six medical colleges in the state. However, today their condition had become deplorable. There was a shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in these government medical colleges. The shortage of employees and officials did not occurred recently; this situation was persising for many years. Kumari Selja said 50 per cent of the positions were vacant at the PGI, Rohtak, the largest health institution in the state, while there was immense pressure on the facility.

Selja said similar conditions prevailed at BPS Women Medical College, Khanpur Kalan, Kalpana Chawla Medical College, Karnal, Nalhad Medical College, Nuh and Chhainsa Medical College, Faridabad.