Health assistants stage sit-in at DGHS, vaccination disrupted nationwide

Health assistants have launched a fresh phase of demonstrations at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in the capital's Mohakhali, as part of their ongoing movement to press home a six-point demand, including amendment of recruitment rules, removal of pay disparities and recognition of technical status.

After three consecutive days of sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar, thousands of health assistants, assistant health inspectors and health inspectors from across the country gathered outside the DGHS director general's office today (2 December) from 10am, chanting slogans and vowing not to return to work until their demands are met through an official government order.

The protesters warned, "We will not go back to our workplaces until the commitments, proposals and assurances given to us are issued as an official notification."

The announcement was made earlier yesterday by Md Wasi Uddin Rana, chief coordinator of the Bangladesh Health Assistants Association, and Fazlul Haque Chowdhury, member-secretary of the organisation.

Nationwide vaccination severely disrupted

Since the work stoppage began on Saturday (29 November), around 1.2 lakh outreach EPI vaccination centres across the country have remained closed. With 15,000 centres suspended daily, nearly 1,50,000 mothers and children are being deprived of routine immunisation, which the protesters say poses a serious public health risk.

Health assistants said they never intended to deprive marginal communities of essential services, but alleged that longstanding negligence and unfulfilled commitments by the DGHS and the health ministry forced them into work abstention.

"Our legitimate demands have been acknowledged for 27 years, yet only assurances are given. Officials remain asleep on our issues. Today, we have come to the DGHS to wake them up. If any mother or child faces an increased risk due to a lack of vaccination, the responsibility lies with DGHS and health ministry officials," one demonstrator said.

Frontline workers now facing discrimination

Demonstrators said they are the frontline workforce responsible for providing lifesaving vaccines at the grassroots. They noted that Bangladesh's achievements in immunisation -- including eradication of smallpox, elimination of polio, reduction in maternal and child mortality, and successful rollout of measles-rubella, HPV, Covid-19 and the recent TCV typhoid vaccine -- were made possible by their work.

"We have contributed to increasing life expectancy and earned global recognition for Bangladesh's health sector, yet we face discrimination and neglect," they said.

From early this morning, health workers from districts across the country arrived in groups carrying banners, festoons and placards to join the sit-in under the banner of the Bangladesh Health Assistants Association.

The association had announced the programme at a press conference on 23 November, warning of a work stoppage if their demands were not met by 28 November. They previously held a similar strike in October, which was postponed after official assurances.

Their demands include: 

• Amendment of recruitment rules to include graduate-level qualifications and placement in the 14th grade
• 11th grade and technical status for in-service diploma holders
• Sequential higher-grade promotions.
• Inclusion of all health assistants, assistant health inspectors and health inspectors in the graduate-scale pay without additional training requirements
• Adjustment of time scale/higher scale benefits into the revised pay scale
• Official recognition of the in-service diploma as an equivalent qualification