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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The state government’s decision to hand over primary health centres and affiliated sub-centres from across the state into private hands to be operated under the public private partnership (PPP) mode has triggered protest from healthcare staff and social organizations.

Nursing associations along with pharmacists and lab technicians have planned to gherao the health directorate demanding to withdraw the decision on Monday. Moreover, they will boycott work for two hours. “We will protest at the health directorate. The government has taken a decision which is not at all beneficial for the people in healthcare. A person who opted for nursing courses with a hope that he will get a government job is feeling cheated. Now, at the PHCs, the private players will rope in nursing staff on contract basis. Also, there is a big difference between the salaries and other benefits in government jobs and private jobs,” Sanjeev Yadav, district president (Jaipur), Rajasthan Rajya Nursing Association (United) said.

He said that for the past few days, hospital staff is boycotting work for two hours in a phase-wise manner to express their protest. “The protest is happening across the state,” he said.

Besides, the social organizations in the state have strongly opposed government’s decision to handover PHCs to private bodies and demand that the decision be revoked immediately.