NHM employees continue stir despite termination orders

KARNAL: Following state health minister Anil Vij’s 24-hour ultimatum to 12,000 striking contractual employees of the national health mission (NHM), on Monday, to join work or face the sack, services of many of these workers were terminated on Tuesday. Chief medical officers in districts have also started the process for fresh recruitment to fill vacancies. District authorities also imposed Section 144 within 2-km radius of civil hospitals to end the protest.

In Karnal, the CMO has terminated the services of 335 of 508 protesting employees. Those terminated failed to join duty in spite of several reminders. “We have issued orders for the termination of 335 NHM employees as they did not join duty after several requests. The process to fill these vacancies will start soon,” Karnal CMO Yogesh Sharma said, adding that termination orders had been handed over to employees. “A list of sacked employees has also been pasted outside my office,” he added.

In Kurukshetra, services of 265 of 504 NHM employees have been terminated. Chief medical officer SK Nain said, “Fresh recruitment will start as per orders.”

Yamunanagar CMO Dr Kuldeep Singh said, “Of 567 NHM employees in the district, 220 did not join duty and their services have been terminated.”

He added, “We have already appointed 16 drivers and four data entry operators on contract.

DISTRICT AUTHORITIES ALSO IMPOSED SECTION 144 WITHIN 2KM RADIUS OF CIVIL HOSPITALS TO END THE PROTEST

There was no impact of the strike on health services in government hospitals of the district.”

He added that the strike had no impact in the district and there was sufficient staff. In Panipat, services of 262 NHM employees were terminated, with Kaithal administration sacking 200.

PROTEST WILL CONTINUE: EMPLOYEES Protesting employees, however, have termed the news of termination as false and claimed that this was a ploy by the government to divide employees. “Nobody has been terminated and we will continue our protest till the government accepts our demands,” a protesting NHM employee Dr Santosh in Karnal said. Another protesting NHM employee Suman said, “If the government does not accept our demands, our protest will continue.”