Sacked contractual health workers protest against Haryana govt

SAY THEY WORKED TIRELESSLY TO SAVE LIVES DURING PANDEMIC; WANT SERVICES TO BE RESTORED

KARNAL: Upset over the termination of their service contract, hundreds of contractual health workers held a protest in Karnal, demanding that their services be restored.

The health workers were hired through outsourcing policy for emergency services at government hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Amid police deployment, sloganeering protesters, who gathered from different parts of the state, held a protest at Sector 12 of Karnal and took out a protest march towards Haryana chief minister’s residence in Prem Nagar, Karnal.

But police did not allow them to reach the CM’S residence as only five members were allowed to submit a memorandum.

They slammed the government for following a ‘use and throw’ policy and sending them back without prior notices after termination of their services on March 31. However, they submitted a memorandum to the district administration addressed to CM Manohar Lal Khattar, demanding his immediate intervention. They were demanding that their service contract be renewed without any further delay and they should be given job security.

As per the protesters, nearly 2,212 health workers, including nurses, sweepers, security guards and other paramedic staff were hired by the government through outsourcing policy during the pandemic. They were deputed at government hospitals when the pandemic was at its peak.

“We worked day and night to save lives of people during the pandemic and they ended our services. This is an injustice and we will fight until they call us back with job security,” said a protester who was a staff nurse at Karnal’s KCGMCH.

Another protester, Meenakshi, who was working at a Panipat Covid lab, said, “We helped government fight Covid-19. Even the families of Covid patients were not helping them but we served them. Now the government should think about our families.”