De-addiction staff observe strike

Tarn Taran, August 20

Members of the Government Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Employees’ Union, Punjab, protested against the state government, demanding salary hike besides job regularisation, on Monday.

Addicts had to face hardships to take medicines from the de-addiction centres and the Outpatient Opioid Assisted Therapy (OOAT) centres. The employees on strike organised a district-level rally at the Rehabilitation Centre, Tharu, 10 km from here, and raised slogans in favour of their demands.

Rajbinder Singh, district president of the organisation, said the union members wanted themselves to be considered as employees of the Health Department. They want all facilities on par with regular employees of the department.

The union presented a memorandum of their demands to Civil Surgeon Shamsher Singh. Health officials said they had made alternative arrangements for providing medicines to the patients.— OC