Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Health services in the district were affected due to the ongoing strike of the contractual health staff as patients are not getting treatment at most primary and community health centres.
The government health schemes were also affected due to the ongoing strike of contractual health employees, which entered day 13 on Sunday, including the work of immunisation, data entry of schemes, and Covid sampling.
The most affected ones are the pregnant women in rural areas who are reaching these health centres for delivery but only to find them locked. A similar situation prevailed at the health centre in nearby villages which remained closed due to the unavailability of staff for last few days.
According to the president of Contractual Health Employees’ Association Neetu Kelde about 40 doctors and 900 health workers in the district are on strike to press for their demands.
“We are ready to join the work immediately as we don’t want patients to suffer but the government is not paying heed to us. We have been assured for the last several years that our demands would be met, but nothing has happened on the ground to meet our demands,” Kelde said. She added that they appealed to the government to pay heed to their demands to end the stalemate.
Major services were affected at all the 110 health centres of the district including the OPD, delivery, ANC assessment, blood test, lab test, routine immunisation, distribution of TB medicines, yoga counselling, NRC and the entry of data on the portal relating to the schemes.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr BS Saitya said that decision on demands of contractual employees would be taken by the state government.
“Health services have been affected at some of the health centres mainly in the rural areas. However, we are managing through permanent and out-sourced staff. Decisions on their demands would be taken by the government,” Dr BS Saitya, CMHO, Indore.
