Kathmandu, February 13:

The government today decided to set up a Female Community Health Volunteers’ (FCHV) Fund worth Rs 50,000 in each district from the fiscal year 2008-09 and to provide free health services to FCHVs in district hospitals.

These steps come in line with the demand raised by Female Community Health Volunteers, who have sought evaluation of their performance, provisions of travel and daily allowances, wages for their service, uniform, free health facilities and insurance.

The FCHV struggling committee threatened to stage a sit-in on the premises of the Ministry of Health and Population if their demands were not met by mid-February. A statement issued by the ministry has appreciated the roles played by the health volunteers in implementation of several health programmes and has said such programmes would be continued as before as per the communities’ demands.

The ministry also stated that it has recommended FCHVs for this year’s Global Health Award. The government observes October 1 as the Female Community Health Volunteers’ Day and each VDC is given funds to award and felicitate three FCHVs.

However, Sunita Bhattarai, an FCHV, said the government’s recent decisions do not meet the demands forwarded by FCHVs.