Community health officer protesting against additional workload

Community health officers (CHOs) looking after government-run health and wellness centers (HWCs) from all parts of the district protested here today.

This movement was carried out under the banner of Community Health Officers Joint Committee, Punjab under the leadership of District President Jasmin Kaur. The agitating CHO today handed over a charter of their demands to Civil Surgeon Dr. Kamal Pal who took charge.

Jasmin Kaur and other committee leaders, who addressed the protesters, said the department has said in its new instructions that the work will be done online when there are no facilities or computer operators available for such work in the HWC. He said that if medical camps were organized along with other works, their normal work would be affected and it would become difficult to serve the patients.

He also said that the department has burdened him with work. They warned the state government that if the director of the department does not give them time to discuss their demands, they will go on mass casual leave and stage a protest in Chandigarh on January 9.