Community Health Officers (CHOs) serving in Punjab’s rural areas under the National Health Mission staged a state-wide protest on Monday regarding their long-pending demands. In Bathinda, employees held a sit-in protest within the district hospital complex and raised slogans against the Punjab government and the Health Department. Both online and offline operations were disrupted, raising concerns about the impact on rural health services.
The protesting employees stated that they have been presenting their demands to the government for a long time, yet no concrete solution has emerged so far. Consequently, they were compelled to resort to agitation. Apart from a large number of CHOs, other National Health Mission employees also participated in the protest. State committee member Ramanveer Kaur stated that CHOs across all districts of Punjab held sit-ins outside Civil Surgeon offices to make their voices heard by the government. She noted that CHOs have been the backbone of rural health services for several years, having served with great responsibility and dedication even during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Allegations of ignoring legitimate demands
They alleged that the government is consistently ignoring their legitimate demands. While employees are being burdened with additional workloads, they are not receiving adequate pay or facilities, leading to significant resentment among the staff.
During the sit-in, employees expressed their anger by burning copies of the new incentive proforma, which they opposed. Later, they submitted a memorandum of demands to the government through the Civil Surgeon.
Demand for equal pay
The protesters’ key demands include implementing ‘equal pay for equal work,’ increasing salaries to match those in other states, withdrawing the new incentive proforma, regularizing employees by approving a formal cadre, releasing loyalty bonuses, and incorporating incentive amounts into the basic salary.
The employees warned that if a positive decision regarding their demands is not taken soon, the agitation will continue until July 1st. Following this, a state-level protest will be held in Sangrur on July 2 near the Chief Minister’s residential area.
