Health staff halt work

[नेपाली]

KATHMANDU, Aug 18 - As per the decision of their action committee, mid-level government health workers started their protest for an indefinite period, halting work at all Primary Health Centers, Health Posts, District Public Health Offices and District Hospitals throughout the country, Thursday.
However, it was almost business as usual at central and zonal hospitals, though protesting junior health workers did not work.

"We closed down all health institutions except those at the center," said Subarna Shrestha, president of an ad hoc committee formed to launch the protest demanding, among other things, promotions, increased allowances and a halt to ongoing handover of government health institutions to the community.

Around 26,000 non-gazetted health workers halted their services at government health institutions throughout the country today.

"We will close down zonal and central level hospitals as a last resort," said Shrestha.

They have demanded at least two promotions during a 20-year service period, special allowances for those working in risky environments, free treatment at all government health institutions, an end to the process of handing over government health institutions to the community and trainings for mid-level health workers.

Village Health Workers, Maternal and Child Health Workers, Auxiliary Health Workers, Dark Room Assistants, Assistant Nursing Midwives, Cold Chain Assistants and Lab Assistants who have not been promoted since the Health Act 1997, which separated them from the regular Civil Service stripping them of major benefits, are in the protest that started June 27.

They intensified their protest from today saying they would not be responsible for any kind of inconvenience caused by the strike.

Meanwhile, a report from Salyan district said that health workers there padlocked all the health institutions including the District Hospital for an indefinite period as per a decision of the central ad hoc committee. Due to the strike, patients visiting health institutions turned back without any treatment.