JAMMU, Sep 15: Dr Varinder Sharma, Co-Convener of the Health Cell of the BJP J&K Unit, has strongly supported the long-pending demands of National Health Mission (NHM) employees and urged the UT Government to resolve their issues on compassionate grounds without further delay.
Dr Sharma said NHM employees have been rendering valuable healthcare services alongside regular doctors and paramedical staff since 2005. Despite working for years with comparatively meagre salaries, he said, they have played a crucial role in immunisation campaigns and in providing essential healthcare services in both rural and urban areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
He expressed concern that despite repeated assurances in the past, NHM employees were still awaiting concrete relief. “No pay parity, no timely hike, no social security — this is simply not acceptable,” Dr Sharma said, adding that the workforce had been left in uncertainty for a long time.
The BJP leader further said that the Central Government was willing to extend financial assistance, but the UT Government must present a well-prepared case before it. He also cautioned against taking administrative action against employees participating in the ongoing agitation, stating that such measures could further deepen the standoff and affect healthcare services.
Dr Sharma maintained that the genuine demands of NHM employees should be examined with compassion and addressed through a phased and time-bound mechanism. He emphasised that NHM personnel are qualified healthcare workers who have been performing essential duties for years and deserve dignified service conditions.
He appealed to the UT Government to initiate an early dialogue with the protesting employees and work towards an amicable settlement. He said resolving their long-pending grievances would not only provide relief to NHM employees and their families but also help ensure that healthcare services across Jammu and Kashmir are not affected further.
Dr Sharma reiterated that the government should adopt a constructive approach and take tangible steps towards addressing the legitimate concerns of NHM employees at the earliest.