Patna: Pharmacists and nurses protest outside health minister’s residence

PATNA: Over 100 pharmacists and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) protested outside the official residence of health minister Mangal Pandey here on Thursday, demanding increase in their payment. Their representatives also met Pandey, who asked them to come for the talks again on Friday.
These pharmacists and ANMs were roped in by the state health society under the National Health Mission, along with Ayush doctors on contract basis in 2015. Akhil Bhartiya Pharmacist Association general secretary Rajeev Kumar Sinha said they all joined in 2015 and while payment of Ayush doctors had been increased manifold, pharmacists and AMNs were ignored.
A pharmacist said Ayush doctors were getting Rs 20,000 per month, pharmacists Rs 12,000 and ANMs Rs 10,500 when they were hired. “The Ayush doctors are getting Rs 44,000 per month now while our salary remains almost the same,” he added.
“We are also getting less than the pharmacists roped in by the state government on contract basis. While we get around Rs 13,000 now, the state government’s pharmacists are being given Rs 37,000,” Rajeev added.
He said their delegation was called by the health minister at secretariat, but while three representatives were on the way, police detained them. “It was on the intervention of the health minister that our colleagues were released. The health minister has accepted some of our demands and the talks will continue on Friday,” Rajeev added.
He said at present, around 550 pharmacists and 750 ANMs are working in Bihar under NHM. As a mark of protest, they first went under home quarantine from June 15 to 29 and then on an indefinite strike. “We tried all possible ways to get our voices heard. Since no one was listening to our grievances, we opted for peacefully protesting outside the minister’s bungalow,” Rajeev added.
One of the ANMs at the protest site, Renu Kumari, said, “Our salary should be revised just like the Ayush doctors.”
A health department official too said pharmacists and ANMs were being paid much less than their counterparts hired by the state government, especially permanent ones, even though there was not much difference in the work they do.