KATHMANDU: All Nepal Progressive Health Worker’s Organisation has threatened to protest if the government failed to address their demands.

ANPHWO has given a 21-day ultimatum to Ministry of Health and Population to implement their 11-point demands.

Organising a press meet in the capital today, Chhetraraj Karki, president of the ANPHWO, said the government was biased while mobilising health workers in the diarrhoea hit districts of the far and mid-western regions.

“At a time when hundreds of people are dying of diarrhoea and cholera, the government is transferring health workers not on the basis of the need but as per the influence of the health workers over the ministry,” he said.

“It is regrettable that health workers are flocking to the

ministry to secure their transfer

to places of their choice instead

of the diarrhoea hit districts,” he explained. ANPHWO said that political games were gradually affecting effective service delivery for the needy.

Their demands include package programme for the people and health personnel in the

diarrhoea hit districts, withdrawal of the decision to transfer

health workers, trade union rights for health workers in line with

the Civil Service Act, effective

implementation of National

Free Health Programme, provision of reward and punishment, revision of Ayurved Health Policy, inclusion of Ayurved practitioners in health programmes and reduction of service charge in private health facilities.

Lilaraj Thapa, an ANPHWO member, accused the MoHP of creating havoc in the health sector in the pretext of revoking the decision of the past governments.

A senior official at the ministry revealed that the ministry yesterday revoked the transfer of 29 health workers approved by the then Maoist-led government.

ANPHWO said it would stage a sit-in protest in front of the ministry on April 24 to pressure the government to fulfil its demands.