Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 6: NHM Employees’ Association has expressed strong resentment over overwhelming presence of senior police officers in a meeting of association leaders held yesterday with Health Minister (HM), Bali Bhagat.
Addressing a press conference, the representatives of NHMEA said that the meeting took place in an environment of intimidation and coercion. They said a police gypsy was sent to pick them up from Press Club Jammu to the meeting venue, where there was overwhelming presence of senior police officers like IGP Jammu, just to make us feel like some criminals or some serious economic offenders being taken for interrogation.
They said that the meeting was attended by Health Minister, Bali Bhagat, Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Dr Pawan Kotwal, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Dr MK Bhandari and Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, except MoS Health, Asiya Naqash.
The leaders alleged that the words used primarily during the meeting were threatening in nature, like threats of termination, etc. They expressed that they are feeling insecure after the meeting, as in meeting the names of all the NHM representatives along with their place of posting was noted down even by some police officials.
“This is clear intimidation and an open threat to us”, they said, adding, if any untoward incident or any harm is inflicted upon any of our their members, the entire responsibility will be on the shoulders of Mission Director NHM, Dr Mohan Singh, who is misleading the Minister.
Clarifying on the allegation on NHM Employees of disrupting patient care, the NHMEA leaders said that they gave ample time to the Government, but the committee made by it on March 15, 2017 to look into their demands, failed to submit its report even after than 9 months.
“Even the announcement of the present strike was made 15 days in advance. But Government failed to deliberate on the issue and come up with a concrete policy of regularization, which forced them to resort to strike”, they added.
Meanwhile, NHM employees continued their strike on consecutive 17th day across the State. In Doda district also, the NHM employees are on strike. DRYWA president, Farid Ahmed Naik, alleged that due to the strike of NHM Employees health services have been badly affected in the district, as even a single doctor or paramedical staff is not present in Sub Centres as well as District Hospital Doda.
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