Tahir Hussain
Bandipora, January 8: As the NHM employees intensified the strike, Government on Friday sought the help ofarmed forces including Army to attend the patients in hospitals of District Bandipora.
After Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary on Friday approached armed forces stationed in the district to help them in attending the patients in hospitals, forces including Army, CRPF, JK Police, BSF, CRPF and BRO deputed their doctors in district hospital Bandipora and other health institutions of the District.
Witnesses the doctors from ARMY hospitals were stationed at District Hospital Bandipora immediately as the rush of patients swelled during snowfall.
Earlier Deputy Commissioner Bandipora had given an ultimatum of 24 hours to report on their duties. However the employees seemingly undeterred by the threats, extended their strike.
The health service in the district has been paralyzed in the district as majority of the staff in hospitals is of National Health Mission.
The CMO Bandipora Dr . Bikers Mir told Kashmir Convener that the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Shahid Chowdary iqbal has deputed a good number of doctors from various security agencies to counter the growing problems that the health department is facing in Bandipora. She said the doctors have been deputed in Bandipora,Gurez,Sumbal,Hajin and in other remote areas. "we are providing the deputed doctor all the assistance we can.we have also managed food for them and we hope we will be able to coup up with the problems that has surfaced due to the long strike of NHM employees," she added.
After the deployment of the army doctors DC thanked armed forces for lending support. "what a relief. Personally grateful to NGOs, Police, Army, BSF, CRPF, BRO for lending us their doctors in this severe weather challenge. Hope our own NHM docs also returnz" he tweeted.
According to the officials from health department, the Army, BSF, CRPF, BRO and other security agencies has deputed their doctors and other staff in government hospital with ACR Bandipora as the nodal officer and the health department is providing all support and assistance to the deputed and visiting doctors for better public service till the strike of the NHM employees end.
Taking serious note of the long strike and the suffering of the patients, the DC Bandipora on Thursday evening ordered the contractual NHM employees vide order number DDC/815 of 2019 ,dated 07/02/2019 to join their duties immediately failing which strict action shall be taken against the employees. " as per rules which can even lead to the termination of the contract engagement and upholding of pay of contactual NHM employees," reads the order.
There are 235 NHM Employees including 45 doctors,169 paramedical staff and 21 programme management staff including outsourced Dee's in the district and the strike has severally affected the health care system of the District Bandipora especially in the ongoing harsh winter season,as the Health department Bandipora is heavily dependent on these contractual NHM employees.
The NHM Employees has gone on strike demanding regularisation of their contractual services on RET pattern on claims of their services towards the Health department of state from decades,as they believe they have no where to go at this stage when most of the contractual emplyees are at the stage of getting over aged and have least chances to get adjusted somewhere else.
According to the NHRM scheme launched in 2002, the engagement of the staff under NHM employees is on temporary and contractual basis and the contractual staff. The president of the NHM employees Bandipora Aijaz Ahmad Mir told Kashmir Convener that the strike call has been extended by the state leadership of NHM employees till Sunday and they cannot resume work at district level on the dictations of Deputy Commissioner and cannot go above the decision of state leadership. "The deputation of the doctors and staff from other agencies will not deter us to give up our strike and we will see how long they can depute them in hospitals.'
