Nagaland’s districts share stories. A Health Centre in Peren district, for instance, was reportedly visited by more than 50 patients Monday. Many of these patients, however, had to return home without treatment as technicians, nurses and doctors under the Nagaland chapter of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) have remained unpaid since April this year. Left without money to fend for basic necessities and under debt, the nearly 1000 NRHM staff in the State have been on a strike since August 21 till their salaries are paid by the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Nagaland (DoH&FW).
“Patients are being managed currently by nurses and doctors employed directly by the State Government—it will be a tough time for all of them,” says an NRHM worker on strike in Zunheboto district, surprised that the Government of Nagaland has still not given any direct response on the matter to the staff on strike. Through newspapers, the DoH&FW has stated that the money required has been sanctioned by the Government of India, but is spiraling somewhere between the planning and finance departments of the Government of Nagaland before it is paid to the employees.
Meanwhile, the monsoon season has not waited for the workers to be paid, and is bringing in an increasing number of patients with respiratory tract infections, malaria, typhoid, severe gastroenterology diseases and so on.
“With the high inflow of patients to the Community Health Centre (CHC), it will be very difficult for one doctor to manage,” reflects a concerned NRHM worker from Peren district, where the CHC is now being run by two State Government doctors, one who does the day shift, the other night. Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays see a large influx of patients here. “Most NRHM doctors and nurses are young adults so night duties are taken up by us—it will be a big problem for the senior State staff to manage,” discloses another NRHM worker from Peren district. A worker from Mon district agrees. “The nurses of the State Government are due to retire soon and now they will have to do additional night duties apart from their day shifts,” she says, concerned by the Government’s lackadaisical approach.
Rural citizens will face abnormal costs, in surgery for instance. “Before we had a surgical department here, patients used to go to Dimapur for surgeries. Some basic surgeries cost them Rs. 20-40,000 in Dimapur for which they have to pay just Rs. 3-4,000 here,” informs an NRHM doctor posted in Peren district—patients will have to get back to this mode of expense till the Government pays the NRHM workers. “This group of people has no name, face or voice…” echoes the doctor, speaking for citizens affected till deserved dues are paid. Minister of Nagaland for Health and Family Welfare had earlier acknowledged that the NRHM workers have the “right to agitate” as they have not been paid for 5 months.
In the midst of this, the DoH&FW has chosen this time to “test” an online messaging and monitoring system with the question: Are you attending your duty? Reply (Y for YES) (N for NO) to … (numbers given take you to the DoH&FW helplines in Kohima, informing that only District Program Managers, Block Program Managers etc., or non technical NRHM staff, have been sent the message as a way to test the online system).
Source: Morung Express
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