Odisha: 2 agitating ANMs attempt self-immolation seeking regularisation of jobs

Bhubaneswar, December 15

Two of the agitating Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM), who were on a dharna here for 18 days demanding regularisation of service, attempted self-immolation on Tuesday, police said.

The two poured kerosene on their bodies and about to light a matchstick when co-agitators stopped them. They were later taken to a hospital, police said.

“We are on dharna for 18 days demanding regular jobs.

As the government has turned a deaf ear to our genuine demand, there is no other alternative than killing ourselves,” said Rutupragyan Sahu, one of the women who attempted self- immolation.

She said at the dharna site that they used to earn Rs 7,000-Rs 8,000 a month working in private hospitals. They left those jobs to join the COVID Care Centres (CCCs) and COVID Care Homes (CCHs) of the state government.

CCCs were set up by the health department to treat less serious coronavirus patients while asymmetric patients were initially kept at CCHs.

Sahu said that they were disengaged after a decline in the number of new COVID-19 patients across the state.

A section of the around 1000 agitating ANMs have also started hunger strike at the protest site and a few of them were recently hospitalised as their health condition deteriorated.

During the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, the Odisha government had provided employment to ANMs, nurses and other paramedical staff. As many as 21,000 ANMs were given temporary jobs on a daily wage basis for a period of three months or till CCCs and CCHs are functional, officials said.

Health and Family Welfare Minister N K Das on Monday advised the agitating ANMs to apply for regular jobs when the government would advertise for vacant posts.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition P K Naik of the BJP wrote a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday urging him to consider the “genuine” demands of the health workers who were engaged in the CCHs and CCCs.

Naik also requested the chief minister to look into the issues concerning the livelihood of health workers who saved many lives during the pandemic.

“The government should fill up the vacant posts of ANMs in different public health centres, community health centres and district headquarters hospitals,” he said alleging that thousands of positions are lying vacant in government health facilities.

The ANMs can also be engaged in various government hostels and in creating awareness on tuberculosis, malaria and polio in villages, Naik said. — PTI