Bhubaneswar: Despite the rain, hundreds of swasthya mitras staged a protest at Lower PMG here on Monday opposing retrenchment notices issued on May 29 that threaten the jobs of more than 900 workers from June 30.
Swashtya Mitras protest at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar on Monday
The protesters demanded job security and regularisation pointing out that nearly 70% of the affected workers are women. Swasthya mitras help patients access cashless treatment under the state health scheme, Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Aarogya Yojana-Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana.Some agitators joined the protest with their babies on their laps, while children were seen getting drenched in the rain. A group of protesters beat steel utensils at the dharna site as a mark of protest.All Odisha Swasthya Mitra Association general secretary Manas Kumar Lenka said swasthya mitras have been working for the past eight years to help poor patients get cashless treatment at govt and private hospitals across the state.“They are the point of contact for patients before admission to any govt or private hospital empanelled under the govt’s health assurance scheme. From managing help desks to coordinating with private hospitals, we have been helping patients access cashless treatment without fail. Now the govt has issued retrenchment orders against 993 swasthya mitras. Is this the reward for our dedicated service?” Lenka said.Association member Laxman Kumar Nial said they were demanding withdrawal of the retrenchment order and regularisation of their jobs. “We will not call off the strike unless our demands are fulfilled,” he said.Nial said swasthya mitras were deployed in Ayushman Bharat cells at empanelled private hospitals to monitor whether patients were receiving nutritious food during treatment. “Considering patients as our own family members, we did not hesitate to donate our own blood when required,” he said.Association president Ritanjali Behera said swasthya mitras helped patients avail cashless treatment even when hospitals tried to charge them despite the availability of health cards.“When hospitals turned away patients saying their Ayushman cards were not active, swasthya mitras assisted them with e-KYC and Aadhaar linking to activate the cards and ensure cashless treatment,” Behera said.“Sitting at help desks, we resolve patients’ problems and visit those undergoing treatment under GJAY-ABPMJAY cards to understand their difficulties. We have conveyed our grievances to officials, the health minister, MLAs and MPs, but did not get any positive response. Finally, we were forced to hit the streets,” she said.A senior official of health and family welfare department said govt is considering their demands after discussing with the delegation of the association.
