Srinagar | September, 15: The strike by National Health Mission (NHM) employees across Jammu and Kashmir entered its seventh consecutive day on Tuesday, as protesters extended their agitation by another 72 hours demanding pay parity, regularisation, and social security benefits.
Spearheaded by the JKNHMEA, reports said the prolonged strike has strained health services across multiple facilities, putting additional pressure on regular healthcare staff as NHM personnel remain absent from routine duties.
Protesters emphasized that their demands for job security, EPF, ESI, and insurance coverage are genuine. “We have served the health department for years and have performed our duties in every situation, but our future is still uncertain. We are not asking for anything unreasonable. We want a proper policy that gives us job security and ensures that our years of service are recognised,” a protesting employee said.
Highlighting the disparity with other regions, another worker stated, “We are doing similar work and carrying similar responsibilities, but there is a considerable difference in our salaries and benefits. We want the government to look into this disparity and ensure a fair and dignified wage structure for NHM employees in J&K.” Demonstrators maintained their protest remains peaceful and reiterated their readiness for structured dialogue with the administration to resolve the crisis.
