Medical employees observe 3-hour pen-down strike across Jammu, routine services affected

JAMMU: Medical employees in most government hospitals across the Jammu region observed a three-hour pen-down strike Tuesday in support of their various demands including convening the departmental promotion committee (DPC) meeting pending for four years.

The strike which started around 10 am badly affected the Out Patient Department (OPD) facility as well as routine surgeries but the emergency services continued unaffected, officials said.

Blaming the strike on the government, Jammu and Kashmir Medical Employees Federation (Jammu) president Sushil Sudan said they have raised their demands peacefully over the past four years but no action was taken.

We have genuine demands which need to be addressed by the government. The last DPC meeting was held over four years ago which otherwise is supposed to be held every six months, he said.

He said the strike was successful across the Jammu region as the employees responded to the call and staged peaceful demonstrations inside the hospitals during the strike period.

Leading a separate protest, J&K Medical Employees Federation (Gandhi Nagar) president Rakesh Bakshi said the administrative department of health & family welfare has failed to frame rules of promotions leading to thousands of vacancies.

Baskshi alleged the administration failed to resolve the permanent salary issue of Female Multipurpose Workers and other staff who are getting salaries under Head -2211 Family Welfare scheme.

The salary of FMPH Workers and other staff has been pending for the last five months, he said, also urging the government to register leftover government in-service Pharmacists under the new pharmacy act 1948 section 32-C, which was implemented in the union territory after the abrogation of Article 370.

He also demanded the restoration of the old pension scheme for all UT employees. (PTI)