After nearly two weeks of agitation, Community Health Officers (CHOs) across Punjab announced on Wednesday that they would resume healthcare services after the National Health Mission (NHM) authorities assured them that their demands would be considered within a time-bound period of 15 days. Following the assurance, the CHOs also postponed their proposed Sangrur rally scheduled for July 2.
Strike Suspended in Public Interest
The officers, who had been on strike since June 22, said they were returning to work in the larger interest of public healthcare but warned that the agitation would resume from July 16 if the government failed to take concrete action. Dr Richa Chanday, a protesting Community Health Officer, stated, “Nearly 126 CHOs participated in the strike in Jalandhar. As part of the state-wide agitation, we staged a demonstration outside the Civil Surgeon’s office on Wednesday.”
Role of CHOs in Primary Healthcare
The development is significant as CHOs form the backbone of primary healthcare in villages and semi-urban areas. Posted at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (formerly Health and Wellness Centres), they are often the first point of contact for patients seeking treatment at government health facilities. They treat common ailments, screen people for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer, monitor maternal and child health, supervise immunisation drives, coordinate with ASHA workers and ANMs, implement national health programmes and refer serious cases to higher health facilities. Their return is expected to restore these essential services, many of which had been affected during the strike.
Meeting Scheduled with Punjab Ministers
Dr Sunil Targotra, president of the Community Health Officers Association, Punjab, said, “We have decided to resume our duties after the assurances given by NHM authorities. A meeting with Punjab Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora and Baljit Kaur, along with senior health department officials, has been scheduled for July 14. If the government fails to address our demands, we will resume the agitation from July 16 and hold a state-wide rally in Sangrur on July 22.”
Key Demands of CHOs
The association said that despite shouldering a wide range of public health responsibilities, CHOs continue to serve on contractual appointments without job security or the service benefits available to regular government employees. Their demands include:
- Withdrawal of the newly introduced performance-based incentive (PBI) system
- Regularisation of services
- Equal pay for equal work
- Release of the pending Rs 5,000 salary hike
- Preference for experienced CHOs in regular recruitment
- Filling of vacant posts
- Adequate funding and clear operational guidelines to ensure responsibilities are shared across the health team instead of being placed solely on CHOs
