Kathmandu, September 15:

Even as health services have been crippled nationwide since paramedics launched a nationwide strike, the government and paramedics are busy blaming each other for the public health crisis. The assistant-level health workers working outside the Kathmandu valley have brought even emergency services to a halt in district, zonal and regional hospitals and health centres since September 12. Giving continuity to their relay hunger strike, the paramedics gathered at Maitighar Mandala in the capital today.

Bhagirath Baniya, coordinator of the Paramedics Joint Struggle Committee, accused the government of not being serious in meeting the demands put forth by paramedics. “The government sho-uld take responsibility for the loss of lives caused due to the strike,” said coordinator Baniya. Meanwhile, Health Minister Amik Sherchan today appealed to health workers to call off the strike and perform their duties.

The government is positive about meeting the demands put forth by health workers, he said.

He further added that only after amending the Nepal Health Service Act 1996 can the demands of health workers be met. “The draft of the revised act has been forwarded from the cabinet to the Public Service Commission for approval. The approved act will then be sent to the House of Representative for amendment,” said Sherchan.

Stating that the present government has done whatever it can to meet the demands of health workers, Arjun Bahadur Singh, spokesperson for the Health Ministry, said, “The health workers should try to understand the technical problem.” There are over 26,000 assistant fourth level health workers, including Auxiliary Health Workers (AHW), Auxiliary Nursing and Midwives (ANM), dark room assistants, cold chain assistants, laboratory assistants and malaria inspectors.

The paramedics, which have been staging protests for three months, have been demanding that their eight-point demand be met. The non-gazetted staffers such as AHW, ANM, laboratory assistant were promoted only once in 1997. Neither their salaries have been increased since then nor have they been given training.