Contractual Nursing association demanded job regularization, threatening a democratic movement

ITANAGAR, The All Arunachal Pradesh Contractual Nursing Officers’ Association (AAPCNOA) on Thursday has demanded for immediate creation of 530 Nursing Officers (NOs) posts for the state for hundreds of nurses working in various parts of state since several years. Threatened to launch democratic movement if the demand is not met soon. 

In a press conference held here at Arunachal Press club (APC), AAPCNOA president, Yombi Ango Bagra disclosed that the association had submitted a written representation to the CMO in the year 2018 and since then our genuine demand is under perusal of the government without any outcome. It is  a matter of great concern that our demand has been overheard by the concerned authority even the authority concerned knew about it in detail including the high-up upto the Chief Minister Pema Khandu who had once spoken that the nurses services would be regularized in phase manager. She said.

Bagra informed that later when the file reached the finance department, the then Finance Secretary, AC Verma denied the requests of the association citing the ongoing financial crunch of the government. due to the covid-19 pandemic. 

However, later Verma suggested the association resubmit the file in the next financial year i.e. April 2021. CM Pema Khandu too assured for phase wise regularization of the NOs during the Covid Hospital launch at Chimpu, added Bagra.

The association resubmitted the representation to the Principal Secretary and the Chief Secretary but failed to receive any form of assurance or actions alleged Bagra.

Bagra further informed that recently the Manipur and Assam govt. have done mass regularizations of NOs in their respective states, but the Arunachal govt. have repeatedly failed to pay the dues to the states NOs.

Tage Yaja, a member of the association informed that the govt. recruits nurses through National Health Mission (NHM), and they are employed on contractual basis, and later regularized on the basis of seniority.

However, the last regularization of NOs was done in the year 2014 during the tenure of Ex-CM, Lt. Kalikho Pul, since then, not a single NHM NO has been regularized, alleged Yaja.

We are appointed as alternated duty but here in state we are substituted and we are also given 24×7 duty and we nurses have sincerely devoted our duty in the Covid 19 pandemic which is known to all. We are praised for our duty by the ministers, leaders but our condition is going down as no support is being extended by the state government even if the monthly salary is not being disbursed timely. We were happy to know that the state government is giving priority to the health sector but our aspiration and expectation still remains unfulfilled. She said.

Reportedly, there are about 599 existing regular NOs in the state, whereas the actual requirement of NOs is about 1806 according to the estimates of Department of Health Services (DHS), informed Yaja.

Toko Jhansi, Treasurer AAPCNOA informed that the govt. understands the importance of nursing staff, because of which 7 nursing schools are currently functioning across the state, out of which two of them have been upgraded to B.Sc nursing colleges. Yet, the govt. is reluctant to regularize NOs.

The AAPCNOA warned that if the govt. fails to meet the demands of the association at the earliest, they will be compelled to take drastic measures and go for democratic movement.     

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