Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 9: With Government continuing its rigid stand on their demands, the doctors and employees working under National Health Mission (NHM) have extended their strike by further 48 hours today.
The call for the extension of the strike was given by the striking employees at Srinagar and Jammu respectively today after the 72 hour call of strike given by them on Monday ended today.
The striking doctors and employees held a peaceful demonstration here at Press Club and later took out a procession towards the Civil Secretariat but the police foiled their attempt and did not allow them to proceed ahead of Dogra Chowk where they squatted on road raising slogans against the injustice meted out to them by the Government.
The NHM doctors and employees are demanding their regularization or hike in pay according on the basis of equal pay for equal work. In a unique type of protest today the doctors and employees of NHM were also seen polishing the shoes of people to express their resentment against the Government apathy.
Reports said that the protests were held in Srinagar city of Kashmir Valley, other district headquarters and at district level in Jammu also by the NHM employees.
At Rajouri a protest demonstration was held in front of Chief Medical Officer by the NHM employees demanding immediate settlement of their demands. The rally was addressed by the leaders of the employees who criticized the Government for taking a rigid stand on the genuine demands of the employees.
The employee leaders warned to go for indefinite strike in case government fails to settle the demand.
The NHM employees also observed the strike in Leh demanding their regularization, social security benefits and equal pay for equal work and implementation of SRO 255.
The protesting employees submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Leh who is also the chairman District Health Society Leh demanding immediate settlement of the demands.
The strike by NHM doctors and employees has affected work in medical colleges of the State, associate hospitals as well as hospitals of Health Department.
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