VIJAYAWADA: The United Medical and Health Employees Union is planning to go on a State-wide protest against the delay in recruiting Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Multi-Purpose Health Assistants (MPHAs) in the medical and health sub-centres across the State.
The Union members had submitted a memorandum to principal secretary of Medical and Health Poonam Malakondaiah to go ahead with the recruitment process as the notification was released before the enforcement of the of the Model Code of Conduct.
The State government issued a notification in February this year to recruit 1,900 ANMs in all 13 districts. Though the recruitment process was started, it was halted during the elections.
In fact, the State government had given nod for the recruitment of 1900 ANMs and MPHAs in the medical and health sub-centres across the State in 2018. A notification for the recruitment was released on February 1 this year and the recruitment was under the consideration of the district level selection committees. However, due to the implementation of election code, the recruitment process has been stopped.
Since the polling is over in the State, the union members are urging the officials to complete the recruitment process. However, the officials have maintained that the recruitment process can be started only after lifting the poll code.
The union members also met State election commission officials, who said they would take a call on the issue if the government sends the file to them. Speaking to TNIE, A V Nageswara Rao, honorary president of the United Medical and Health Employees Union, said, “The officials are delaying the recruiting process. They have taken many months to issue the notification. Now, though the recruiting process is almost completed, they have stopped it citing poll code. Many aspirants and contract employees are eagerly waiting for the completion of recruitment process.”
“As the poling is over, the officials can resume the process after informing the same to the election commission,” he said and warned of agitation if the officials delay it further.The State has 7,606 medical sub-centres and another 1,021 new centres are being set up. In most of these sub-centres, the posts of ANMs and MPHAs are lying vacant.