Imphal, Dec 28 : Healthcare services were affected in Manipur today after employees of the health and family welfare departments joined the ceasework launched by government workers’ unions to demand implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.
All the government hospitals in the nine districts, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Imphal East, closed their outpatient departments since morning. However, emergency services and medical care of indoor patients continued. The strike also affected the functioning of nearly 200 primary health centres across the state.
An action committee of three workers unions of the health and family welfare departments said the health employees would resume work on December 30 after keeping the outpatient departments closed for three consecutive days.
“If the government still remains indifferent, we may again resume the ceasework,” R.K. Basumani, the secretary of the Medical Department Employees’ Association, said.
The government employees had launched a phase-by-phase agitation under the Joint Administrative Council, the apex body of employees’ unions of government departments, on November 6. They launched the indefinite ceasework on November 27.
The strike paralysed the functioning of many departments, but employees in the essential services sector had not joined it till today.
“We do not want to join the ceasework, but the government’s indifference forced us to join it,” said Basumani.
The decision to join the agitation was taken by the Joint Committee of Medical Department Employees’ Association, the Family Welfare Department Employees’ Association and the Manipur Health Services Officers’ Association.
W. Inaocha Singh, the secretary of the employees’ apex body, said the workers of power and water supply departments would join the ceasework soon.