CHANDIGARH: The Union of Multipurpose Health Workers’ Struggle Committee, comprising National Health Mission (NHM) nurses, climbed atop the five-storey building of the director, health services (DHS), Punjab, in Sector 34 on Monday and threatened to jump if their demands were not met.
Around six nurses attempted to scale the parapet of the building to jump.
One of the nurses suffered low blood pressure and was taken to hospital, but later she returned to join the protest.
Around 11am, hundreds of nurses from all over the state blocked the entry and exit of the building for over six hours. The office staff, including the director, were locked inside and visitors were also not allowed to move till the police acted and let them out from the backdoor.
The nurses raised slogans against Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and said they would end their lives if their demands for regularisation were not met.
Led by Karanjit Kaur (Ludhiana), Ninder Kaur (Muktsar) and Kamaljit Kaur Patti, the NHM nurses forced the employees and Health Services and Family Welfare, Punjab (HSFWP), director to remain inside the building for hours.
Patti said, “We have been pressing for our demands for regularisation of our services for the past many years. We want to be brought on a par with other ranks, but the Punjab government has been giving only assurances. Today we laid a siege to the building and will not move till we are heard and our demands met.”
Many nurses were seen carrying their babies in their laps while protesting and raising slogans against the Punjab government.
Director not allowed to leave
The protesting nurses did not allow Om Prakash Gojra, director, health services and family welfare, Punjab, to leave the building around 4pm. As he came out, he was gheraoed by the protesters and was forced to retreat. On seeing him go back, the protesting nurses celebrated their win by clapping and raising slogans in their favour. Later, when the director told them that he had to go for a meeting to discuss their issue with the CM, they let him go around 4:30pm.
They are knocking at wrong door: Director
The protesting nurses’ union is knocking at the wrong door as the National Health Mission (NHM) employees aren’t governed by HSFWP, said director Om Prakash Gojra. “So, they should have protested outside the office of NHM in Sector 38 instead of Sector 34. They came to the wrong door,” he added. The NHM office is housed at Prayaas Building in Sector 38-B, while the nurses protested at Parivar Kalyan Bhavan in Sector 34.
