Doctors in Manipur threaten cease-work

Correspondent

IMPHAL, JAN 31: Doctors of Manipur health services on Tuesday said they are set to resume their suspended agitations with indefinite cease-work strike alleging that the state government has failed to address their long pending demands.

The doctors under the aegis of All Manipur Health Services Doctors’ Association (AMHSDA) were on strike, pressing the state government to address their four-point charter of demands.

Talking to reporters at Manipur Press Club in Imphal today, AMHSDA general secretary Lolee P Mao alleged that doctors were neglected by the state government.

“Government treats our services as essential but doesn’t bother for our well-being,” he said lamenting that government was testing the patience of the doctors instead of addressing their long pending demands.

Mao claimed that the doctors under the aegis of AMHSDA have been pressing the state government to materialize their demand for the last two years but the state government remained deaf to their demand.

On account of the failure on the part of the state government to address their demands, the doctors resumed the strike from the last week of October last year.

The protest began with doctors wearing of black badges while discharging duties. It was followed by a series of sit-in-demonstrations across the 16 districts of the state.

In the middle of November, they suspended the strike after a talk at the level of the state health minister had assured to address four key demands by tabling them in a cabinet meeting.

After the assurance failed to materialize, the doctors resumed the strike with mass casual leave and closure of OPD in all gov-

Manipur Governor seeks border villages’ cooperation in checking illegal migrations

Correspondent

IMPHAL, JAN 31: Manipur Governor La Ganesan on Tuesday paid a maiden visit to a village at IndoMyanmar border in Churachandpur district and took cognisance of issues and grievances faced by the residents of the remote village.

During the visit at Behiang in Singngat sub-division of Churachandpur district, the Governor interacted with District Level Officers (DLOs), representatives of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), chiefs, chairmen and villagers of Behiang and its neighbouring villages. He listened to issues and grievances raised by them and assured them of all possible help in the larger interest of the people, a release of the DIPR stated. The Governor also visited A-company of 46 Assam Rifles, its forward post at Behiang and interacted with officers and jawans there before paying a visit at Chivu Chandrakirti Memorial Park at Tonjang.

During the interaction programme held at Behiang public ground, the Governor said that he came to the sub-division to know the problems faced by the people and to explore ways and means to address it.

He added that he will ask the concerned departments to look into the matter and also ask the chief minister to take necessary steps in the larger interest of the people. Ganesan further said that the issues of drug abuse, poppy cultivation and drug trafficking have been major issues and the state government has been trying to curtail it. Expressing concern over the issues of illegal migration, smuggling of drugs, weapons etc., the Governor said, “Sneaking of illegal migrants from neighbouring countries into our territory should be prevented at any cost, ” adding that the Government alone cannot prevent it and full cooperation from the general public was indispensable. Further appealing to the people to extend full cooperation to security forces and concerned authority to contain crime, the Governor said that only then will peace loving people of the beautiful state will be able to live peacefully. ernment healthcare centres, including district hospitals.

The OPD closure strike was also suspended recently after the health minister once again assured to discuss the demands in the cabinet meeting but it was not discussed in the recent cabinet meeting convened on January 25, the general secretary said.

“It is unfortunate that the government resorted to delaying tactics over our demands” he said reiterating that AMHSDA had decided to launch the cease work strike after due consultations with over 1,300 of its members serving in different healthcare centres across the 16 districts of the state.

When the indefinite cease work strike will commence will be decided soon, the general secretary said asserting that for the time being they were yet to fix the date for resumption of the strike.

The AMHSDA has been pressing the state government to address their four-point demand which included among others time bound/scale promotion, extension of superannuation age of specialist and non-specialist doctors to 65 years as administrative post as per the declaration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The doctors’ body also demanded inclusion of non-practicing allowance (NPA) in the basic pay with effect from January 1 of 2016 as per the 7th Central Pay Commission and major amendment of the outdated MHS rules 1982.