JNM | Journalist Hardeep Jamwal, Jammu
The strike by non-gazetted employees of the Health and Medical Education Department in Jammu and Kashmir has exacerbated the hardships of the general public. Continued for the second consecutive day, OPD services were completely shut down in almost all government hospitals in Jammu, causing significant inconvenience to patients.
It is being reported that the strike is being carried out in protest against the discontinuation of the two-and-a-half-day salary allowance for working on Sundays and other gazetted holidays. Employees say that this allowance, which they have been receiving for decades, is an injustice to their rights.
The strike has had the greatest impact on patients. Due to the closure of OPDs, patients have had to rely on emergency services for treatment. Crowded emergency wards and limited resources also resulted in long waits. Many patients returned without treatment, while others were forced to seek treatment at private hospitals.
Outpatient services remained completely closed at Jammu’s major hospitals—Government Medical College (GMC), Gandhi Nagar Hospital, Sarwal Hospital, and Rajiv Gandhi Hospital. Although some doctors were present to see patients on their own, the system remained uninterrupted due to the closure of prescription counters.
Patients and their families questioned the hospital administration and the government, stating that despite prior notice of the strike, no alternative arrangements were made. Patients say that even in the emergency, there were not enough doctors available, further exacerbating the problems.
Meanwhile, employees intensified their protests over their demands. Employees staged a sit-in protest on the Government Medical College Hospital campus in Jammu, raising slogans against the government. Leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Employees Federation called the government’s decision a direct attack on employees’ rights.
Employee leaders have warned that if the government does not meet their demands soon, they will intensify the agitation. Currently, the strike has severely affected healthcare services, and the general public is suffering the consequences.
