About 500 protesting NHM workers sacked in Haryana

Chandigarh: The state health department on Saturday terminated the contracts of as many as 500 contractual employees -- who were on strike after the health department on Friday issued an order in which it had directed the civil surgeons to sack those participating in the protest -- for not reporting back on duty after the lapse of the 24-hour deadline. Meanwhile, a group of the contractual staff, appointed under National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana, met the principal secretary to the Haryana chief minister on Saturday to press their demand for regularization of their services.

"The government has already regularized the contractual staff working under other various schemes of the health department. Even our juniors have been regularized, but the government is completely silent about us. Even now, instead of framing any policy as assured by Khullar during our last meeting, the NHM state director released an order to terminate the contracts of those on strike," said Vijay Kumar Sharma, an office-bearer of the NHM workers union leading the agitation in Ambala.

Justifying the termination orders, a senior health department official said, "You cannot make a patient suffer for your demands. Hence, the government passed the order. The meeting is scheduled and we are hopeful of resolving the issue soon."

There are 12,000 NHM workers rendering their services in medical, paramedical and general services in various government-run hospitals and health centres across the state.

These staffers are serving under the government's centrally-sponsored schemes since 1998. The workers had resorted to strike seeking regular employment in the state health department on the lines of the employees, who were regularized in 2012 and 2013.