Chandigarh:Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema held a series of comprehensive meetings on Wednesday with various employee unions under the Health and Family Welfare Department to address the grievances of the state's healthcare workforce.
Prioritising the working conditions of frontline staff, the Finance Minister issued immediate directives to both the Health and Family Welfare Department and the Rural Development and Panchayat Department. He mandated that adequate arrangements be made to facilitate Asha workers and facilitators by providing them with proper spaces, such as Panchayat Ghars or other suitable Panchayat buildings, to conduct vital vaccination drives on alternate days.
During the extensive deliberations, the Finance Minister took decisive steps to address the structural and administrative hurdles faced by the employees. He directed the Health Department to promptly formulate and submit a proposal to the cabinet sub-committee concerning the provision of casual leaves and other legitimate demands raised by the Asha workers and facilitators, ensuring that appropriate action is taken at the earliest. Furthermore, Cheema assured the delegations that their remaining key demands are already under active consideration by the government, and a favourable decision regarding them will be announced soon.
Recognising that the primary concerns of the broader workforce revolve around salary enhancements, pay parity, fair leave policies, and transparent transfers, the Finance Minister directed the Health Department to present all justified issues before the Inter-Departmental Committee. To guarantee swift redressal without bureaucratic delays, he strictly directed this committee to convene once a week.
The marathon sessions witnessed active participation from a diverse coalition of employee representatives who submitted detailed memorandums outlining their specific departmental challenges.
The dialogue included crucial inputs from the All India Asha Workers and Facilitators Union, Asha Workers and Facilitator Union Punjab (CITU) and the Asha Workers and Facilitator Narol Union. Additionally, key systemic issues regarding equal pay and regularization were brought forward by the N.H.M. Employees Union, the Community Health Officers Association, the Pharmacy Officer's Association, the Rural Health Pharmacy Officer Union, and the Health Pharmacy Officer Association Punjab.
The discussions also heavily featured the unique operational demands of the Govt. Drug De-Addiction & Rehabilitation Employee Union, the Punjab Aids Control Employees Association (Health Department), and the PCMS Dental Association, reflecting the government's comprehensive approach to stabilising and supporting every tier of the state's healthcare infrastructure.
During the meetings, Durgo Bai, Balvir Kaur, Rajinder Kaur and Swaran Kaur from All India Asha Workers and Facilitators Union; Saroj Bala, Seema Rani, Joginder Kaur and Parminder Kaur from Asha Workers and Facilitator Union Punjab (CITU); Kirandwep Kaur, Pawanpreet Kaur and Mandeep Kaur Asha Workers and Facilitator Narol Union; Sandeep Kaur, Amandeep Singh, Dinesh Garg, and Sukhjeet Singh from N.H.M. Employees Union, Dr. Sunil Targotra, Dr. Daljeet Kumar and Dr. Raj from the Community Health Officers Association; Shubam Sharma and Deep Kamboz from Pharmacy Officer's Association; Gurmeet Singh, Navjot Kaur and Rajinder Kumar from Rural Health Pharmacy Officer Union; Ram Singh, Navdeep Kumar, Sarabjeet and Raj Kumar from Sehat Pharmacy Officer Association; Parminder Singh, Navdeep Singh and Tarsem Sharma from Govt. Drug De-Addiction & Rehabilitation Employee Union; Jasmail Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mahinder Pal Singh and Ashu Garg from Punjab Aids Control Employees Association (Health Department); and Dr Ashutosh Sharma, Dr Dharminder Singh, Dr Harpreet Kaur and Dr. Vikrant Sharma from PCMS Dental Association raised their issues and demands.