On the 28th of July, the National Health Mission (NHM) fraternity lost one of their frontline Covid warriors, Dr Shabir Ahmad Malik, of Sumbal Bandipora, posted in Gurez.The death of the doctor is a tragic loss to the healthcare fraternity and his family.
National Health Mission employees have been crying at the peak of their voices for last more than one decade demanding social security to the employees and their families. It remains a fact that once an employee loses his life in service of the people, his salary gets stopped on that very day, leaving his family, children and relatives high and dry.
A written agreement was signed by then Minister for Health Bali Bhagat in January 2018 pledging to provide ex-gratia assistance and job to next of kin of deceased NHM/RNTCP/NACO employees but for strange reasons the bureaucracy has been blocking all possible ways out and stalling files without reason. So much so, employees had volunteered to contribute to a fund for the purpose, but alas, the apathy of the authorities showed no limits.
Apart from Dr Malik, 35 of our colleagues, have lost their lives in harness in last few years, most of them due to occupational hazards. We tried every door and every forum for getting our grievances resolved which only needed a stroke of pen to get resolved. Even, the funds for the purpose are available with the government.
Unfortunately, the powers that be, only know how to clampdown on the genuine aspirations of the warriors fighting on the frontline against the Covid19 monster.
Again, unfortunately, the authorities only had lip service to offer to the doctor and his family who worked selflessly till his last breath. We have no doubt that in a few days the sacrifice of the doctor will be forgotten and life will go on as usual. Such empty assurances have been given in past which have seen no light of the day The president of the association said,
In this context, the National Health Mission (NHM) Employees’ Association today decided to give an ultimatum till 2nd of August, 2020, to the government to handover an ex-gratia relief of Rs 50 lakh to the family of the deceased doctor (over and above the ex-gratia insurance for which the family in eligible under PM Garib Kalyan Insurance for Covid warriors).
It is demanded that an ex-gratia policy is announced by the said date which should also benefit the NHM employees who have so far died in harness.
In case the government fails to fulfil the genuine demands of the employees with regard to the social security, the NHM employees shall have no alternative to resort to protest strike, the fallout of which shall wholly and squarely lie on the authorities concerned.President further added
PRESS STATEMENT from NHMEA
