Srinagar, Sept 14: CPI(M) leader and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has urged the government to address the long-pending and genuine demands of National Health Mission (NHM) employees in Jammu and Kashmir and initiate a meaningful dialogue with the protesting employees to resolve their grievances in a time-bound manner.
Tarigami said NHM employees have been rendering valuable services to the public healthcare system for years, often working under difficult circumstances and facing considerable professional and personal uncertainty. Despite their sustained contribution to healthcare delivery, he said, they continue to face uncertainty over job security, remuneration, career progression, retirement benefits and social security.
He said the demand for regularisation of employees who have rendered years of service deserves serious and sympathetic consideration. Similarly, issues concerning fair and equitable wages, timely payment of remuneration, job security and adequate retirement and social-security benefits cannot be kept pending indefinitely.
The healthcare system depends significantly on the dedicated services of NHM employees, particularly in rural and far-flung areas, where they play a crucial role in providing essential healthcare services to the people.
“Keeping such a large section of the healthcare workforce in a state of prolonged uncertainty is neither fair to the employees nor conducive to the smooth functioning of the public health system,” Tarigami said.
He urged the government to engage with representatives of NHM employees in a constructive and sustained dialogue and work out a clear, transparent and time-bound mechanism to address their legitimate concerns.
Tarigami stressed the need for a comprehensive policy framework for NHM employees that safeguards their legitimate interests while ensuring continuity and stability in the public healthcare system.
He expressed hope that the government would intervene at the earliest and take concrete steps to resolve the issues rather than allowing the matter to linger further.
