Community health care providers continued their agitation programme for the second day yesterday, demanding nationalisation of their jobs.
Several thousand health care providers, who work at the grassroots level health facilities, staged a sit-in in front of Jatiya Press Club since morning.
“We'll continue… until our demands are met,” said Suman Matbar, vice president of Bangladesh Community Health Care Providers. He said they would go for a hunger strike from February 1 if their demands are not met before that.
The Community Clinic Project, which began its operations in 1998, has nearly 14,000 community health care providers (CHCP) in the equal number of community clinics.
The operations of the project were closed during the BNP-Jamaat regime in 2001-2008. It restarted in 2009, when the Awami League-led government came to power, under the project, “Revitalisation of Community Healthcare Initiative in Bangladesh”.
“The government has not brought our jobs under the revenue budget despite its decision in 2013. As a result, our salary remained the same, in total Tk 16,700 a month. We had no increments or any other facilities,” Suman Matbar told this correspondent.
The CHCPs, who have been trained by the government, therefore, are frustrated and leaving jobs. “Authorities have repeatedly assured us of brining our jobs under the revenue budget, but to no avail...,” Suman said, demanding intervention of the prime minister.
Contacted, Dr Abul Kalam Azad, director general at the Directorate General of Health Services, said they held a meeting with the CHCPs on Thursday, and offered them that the community clinics would be operated under an autonomous body.
“In this case, they will get salaries and other benefits like those of the government jobs. Yet, they are holding demonstrations. This is unexpected.”
Operations of the community clinics under an autonomous body will bring more flexibility and dynamism in its services, Dr Azad said.
Suman Matbar said if they are not brought under the revenue budget, there are risks that the community clinics would close with the change of regime.546454
