Telangana: Contract ANMs announce medical strike after Dec 18 if their demands remain unfulfilled

The ANMs along with their representatives are expected to meet with senior health officials including State Health Minister, Damodar Rajanarasimha on Friday to hold talks over their demands and possibly resolve outstanding issues that have been pestering the sector for a while

Hyderabad: The State government and 6,000 protesting contract Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), who form the backbone of the public health care system in Telangana State, are heading for showdown with caregivers maintaining that an indefinite medical strike will be launched after December 18, if their demands are not met.

The ANMs along with their representatives are expected to meet with senior health officials including State Health Minister, Damodar Rajanarasimha on Friday to hold talks over their demands and possibly resolve outstanding issues that have been pestering the sector for a while.

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One of the major demands of protesting contract ANMs is immediate regularization of their services in the State health department. At present, there are 6, 000 contract ANMs who are discharging their duties at the sub-centre level in Telangana State.

Roughly, there are 5, 500 sub-centres in Telangana State and based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, there is enough scope to add 2,000 to 3,000 additional sub-centres across all the newly formed 33 districts of Telangana State.

In fact, for the population and size of Hyderabad, at present, there is just one ANM for a population of 25, 000 individuals. More sub-centres should be added, which will regularize the duties of existing contract ANMs, members of Telangana United Medical and Health Union, which is fighting for the cause of ANMs, pointed out.

However, at present, the Telangana State Medical and Health Services Recruitment Board (TSMHSRB) is conducting Computer Based Test (CBT) on December 29, 2024, only for 1931 posts.

“A large number of contract ANMs have been working in sub-centres since 1997 and they are in no position to appear for such examinations. They are aged between 45 years and 50 years and some are even approaching retirement age. The State government can’t force them to appear for a written test at this ripe old age. Their services must be directly regularized without any written test,” says K Yada Naik, who has been representing the interest of ANMs in Telangana for nearly half-a-decade.

The members of ANMs who are protesting have demanded that the State government must first postpone the upcoming CBT entrance exam for recruiting Multi Purpose Health Activists (MPHA) in Telangana State.

“There is a need for the State government to take care of ANMs who are on the verge of retirement by providing them comfortable gratuity. We are hoping that these outstanding issues are first resolved during our meeting with the Health Minister on Friday morning,” says Yada Naik.

 

What ANMs are demanding?

• Regularization without a written exam
• 50 marks weightage for contract service
• Removal of age limit
• Equal pay for equal work
• Ex-gratia and health insurance
• Increase in sub-centers based on population