‘Radiation allowance 50 since 35 yrs, in other states it’s 1.5k’

Bhopal: Hundreds of contractual health workers staged a protest at JP Hospital here on Wednesday, demanding permanent jobs and pressing a nine-point charter of demands. The statewide agitation escalated with a "Nyay Yatra" (Justice March) and strike action, disrupting services at hospitals and health centres.Protesters attempted to march towards the CM's residence. Police blocked their advance. A woman fainted during the protest while carrying her young child, who was cared for by colleagues, according to reports. The demonstration was backed by multiple unions, including the AIDS Control Employees Union, All Health Officers Employees Federation, and Contractual, Outsourced Health Workers Union. Surendra Singh Kaurav, state president of the Health Officer Employees Federation, said employees have been protesting since Feb 2 but officials remain unresponsive. Virendra Rajput, president of the Madhya Pradesh Radiology Technicians Association, highlighted that radiology staff still receive only Rs 50 as radiation allowance, a rate unchanged for 35 years, he claimed. In other states, the allowance ranges from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500. He warned that prolonged exposure has already led to cancer deaths among 20 colleagues, with six more undergoing treatment.