Contractual nurses in Jharkhand call off 17-days-old strike
The strike was called off after the state’s health secretary told contractual auxillary nurse midwives and general nurse midwives that the reservation roster had been sent to the personnel department for initiating steps to regularise their appointment.
Contractual auxillary nurse midwives (ANM) and general nurse midwives (GNM) of the National Health Mission in Jharkhand on Wednesday called off their 17-day-old strike after the state’s health secretary told them that the reservation roster had been sent to the personnel department for initiating steps to regularise their appointment.
After talks with health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni in afternoon, Jharkhand State Contractual ANM, GNM Association president Meera Kumari and general secretary Veena Kumari said since government had agreed to start the process of their service regularisation, strike had been called off. They also cancelled the proposed gherao of CM’s residence on Thursday.
ANMs and GNMs would resume duty from Thursday. Around 4,660 of them had been on a dharna near Raj Bhawan since June 24.
Due to the strike, institutional delivery of child, routine immunisation of children, treatment of malnutritious children and ante-natal care programme were almost paralysed in hospitals across the state for last 17 days.
After failure of talks on Tuesday evening, health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni had again called striking nurses for talks in the day on Wednesday.
“Hope the government would do justice with us as we have been working as contractual workers since 2007,” said Veena Kumari.
Contractual ANMs of NHM are paid Rs 14,500 a month while in Bihar, they get Rs 60,000 to 70,000 after being regularised.