Jaipur, Aug 7 (IANS) Three contractual nursing staff members, including a woman, climbed a nearly 90-foot-high water tank inside the Jaipuria Hospital premises in Rajasthan's Jaipur on Friday to press for their long-pending recruitment demands.
The protesters are seeking the immediate announcement of recruitment for 12,000 Nursing Officer posts and 7,000 Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) posts, with appointments to be made on the basis of merit and bonus marks.
The three protesters, Vimal Sharma (32), Robin Sharma (28), and Sanjita Chaudhary (30), climbed the water tank in early morning hours.
Despite intermittent rainfall and repeated appeals by officials, they remained atop the structure throughout the day.
Police and Civil Defence personnel were deployed at the site, and a safety net was installed beneath the water tank as a precaution.
Officials continued negotiations to persuade the trio to descend safely.
As news of the protest spread, a large number of contractual healthcare workers, including ANMs, GNMs, pharmacists, and nursing staff, gathered outside Jaipuria Hospital in solidarity with the protesters.
Police later dispersed the crowd and restricted access to the immediate vicinity of the water tank to ensure safety.
The protesters said they have been demanding recruitment based on merit and bonus marks for nearly two years.
According to them, they have submitted repeated memorandums to the state government and senior health officials but have not received any concrete response.
They alleged that despite performing duties similar to those of regular government employees, contractual nursing staff continue to receive low wages and remain without permanent appointments, leading to financial hardship, job insecurity, and mental stress.
The protesters also said that conducting recruitment solely through a written examination would disregard the years of service rendered by contractual healthcare workers.
Contractual nursing staff Kiran Chaudhary and Komal claimed that GNMs, pharmacists, and nursing personnel receive around Rs 7,900 per month, while ANMs are paid around Rs 6,300 per month.
They said many contractual employees have been working eight to nine-hour shifts for the past three to four years and alleged that changing the recruitment criteria after taking their services for years would be unjust.
Supporting the protest, Rakesh Saini from Dausa said contractual nursing staff served on the frontlines during the Covid-19 pandemic and were repeatedly assured that their experience would be recognised through recruitment based on merit and bonus marks.
He warned that if the state government fails to address their demands, nearly 20,000 contractual nursing staff across Rajasthan could launch a statewide agitation.
Nadeem, a contractual employee associated with the 108 ambulance service, said contractual workers had submitted more than 20 memorandums to the Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar seeking recruitment based on merit and bonus marks.
He alleged that despite several meetings with the state government, no clear assurance had been given.
Referring to the death of a contractual worker, he said the incident reflected the frustration among employees waiting for a resolution.
The protesters have maintained that they will not come down from the water tank until the government provides a written assurance on their demands.
Authorities continued talks with the protesters till the filing of this report, while police and Civil Defence teams remained deployed to ensure their safety and maintain law and order.
--IANS
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