Pokhara, September 10 :

Health workers are still on strike in several districts of the country. Today, Kaski district health workers, who are on strike since Friday demanding that they be upgraded, staged a sit-in in the Kaski District Public Health Office (DPHO).

The workers, after locking their respective offices, gathered outside the DPHO and staged a sit-in. They have warned that they will continue the strike until their 23-point charter of demands is met. Patients remained deprived of health services in different health centres, including the DPHO, said Dambar Baniya, health education technician in the Kaski DPHO.

A report from Charikot said all health centres except emergency services remained shut due to the strike by health workers. There are 10 health posts, 41 sub-health posts, a district hospital and a primary health centre in the district. “The health centres will stay closed until the concerned authority fulfils our demand,” said assistant health worker, Ishwor Kumar Khadka.

In Nuwakot, agitating health workers closed all district-based health centres. Except the emergency department of the District Hospital, all health centres remained closed, said Ram Raja Bhandari, coordinator of the district health workers’ protest committee.

A report from Ramechhap said all health centres in the district remained shut. The health workers also padlocked the District Public Health Office today. Health services have been affected in the district following the health workers’ strike.

Claiming that the government did not pay heed to their demands, health workers closed all health centres.