West Champaran NHM employees call off stir

Patna: Contract employees under the National Health Mission (NHM) from West Champaran district called off their indefinite stir on Friday within 24-hours of the ultimatum issued by the state health department.
As per the ultimatum, the contract employees were asked to join duty or face action. However, ANMs and Ayush doctors on contract are yet to call off their strike.
Bettiah civil surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Sinha said the contract employees had been called to discuss the terms and conditions put forth by the principal secretary (health), R K Mahajan, on Thursday. “We requested them to call off the strike in the interest of the masses and they agreed to do so,” said Sinha. The civil surgeon said that he has also requested the state health department on behalf of the employees to consider the duration of the strike as earned leave.
However, Bihar State Contractual Health Employees Federation secretary Lalan Kumar Singh said that he had not received any formal information about the withdrawal of strike from the federation’s representative in Bettiah. “If they have done so, they have done it under the pressure of the government,” he added. The federation has planned to further intensify their agitation and go on a hunger strike from December 11, if their demands for ‘equal pay for equal work’ is fulfilled.