Reza Mahmud :
Multiple vaccines giving programme concerning the children’s health are at serious risk due to unabated work abstention programme of Health Assistants across the country.
Bangladesh Health Assistant Association started work abstention for indefinite period since November 26 demanding technical hand status and up-gradation of their posts and wages with reviewing of job rules.
Sources said, the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) vaccines giving programme was scheduled on Saturday but the childrean across the country deprived from this health safety measures. The parents are anxious about their children’s health safety as no one can say when the vaccination programme will be resume.
Besides, the measles and rubella vaccine programme for more than three crore children is scheduled for December 12 which are also become uncertain as there are no sign of ending the work abstention programme.
When contacted, Sheikh Rabiul Alam Khokon, Convener of the Central Demand Implementation Council told The New Nation on Saturday, “We are on the street to press home our fair demands but the higher authority is yet to show any sign to bow down. Besides, in other departments, the higher authority called on the employees and met their desires. The authority acts with us as stepmother, which is totally regrettable.”
Sources said, under the EPI programme, the tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, poliomyelitis, and hepatitis B have been vaccinated since 2003, followed by haemophilus vaccine since 2009.
In the previous years, the guardians of the children become happy after pushing vaccinations to their children, but this year it has sunken into deep uncertainty.
The up coming measles and rubella vaccinations programme will face uncertainty for the very same reason.
The health assistants are also observing sit in programme in their respective upazila health complex premises until their demands are met.
Human health experts said that the indefinite work abstention by the health assistants would jeopardize the total health service delivery work in the country.
Earlier the health assistants called for the work abstention programme from a press briefing at National Press club on November 20.
“We are on strike for last 10 days. We want technical status as our work is technical in nature we want right gradations and wages which is our right,” Md. Wasi Uddin Rana, Member-Secretary of Bangladesh Health Assistant Association, told The New Nation.
He said that they are working in the technical field to vaccinise the children and people, but are officially treated as non-technical hands. On the other hand, he said, who are vaccinising animals in veterinary department are technical hands. It is a serious discrimination and there is no logic of difference.
Sources said about 20,000 Health Inspectors, Assistant Health Inspectors and Health Assistants have joined the work abstention programme.
