MACS staffs relax cease work for five days
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, March 24 2012: Contractual employees of MACS, who went on a cease work strike since March 21, 2012, thus putting a halt in dispensing ART doses to people accessing ART services all over the state, have decided to relax stir and dispense ART medicine to the patients for five days starting from today.

The decision was made after an emergency meeting held at MDU, Imphal today considering the impact their cease work strike has given to PLHIVs on ART regimen.

"We have decided to resume dispensing ARV drugs considering the hardship faced by people living with HIV and AIDS for five days.

However, if the government fails to take steps to fulfill our demands within these five days, we may resort to other non-violent protests", said a contractual staff of MACS on condition of anonymity.

The cease work strike has been called by contractual staffs of MACS since March 21 in pursuance of their demands for payment of due arrears and revised pay as per National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) norms.

NACO revised the pay of all contractual staff working under all the State AIDS Control Societies (SACS) in India, including MACS, in 2009.NACO also affected an annual pay increment for SACS staffs with effect from April 2010.However, MACS staffs have not received any of these benefits so far.

Around 10,012 people are presently accessing ART services from seven ART centres in Manipur. Meanwhile, another emergency meeting was convened today at the office of CoNE in Imphal to discuss the situation arising out of the cease work strike launched by contractual staffs of MACS.

The meeting was convened by Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE) .

In the meeting, Babloo Loitongbam, Director of Human Rights Alert, said that there could be legitimate grievances of MACS staffs currently on strike, but denial of ART to people living with HIV and AIDS amounts to violation of not only the right to health of PLHIVs, but also their very right to life.

It is incumbent on the part of the government of Manipur to promptly act and find a solution.

Dr Debabrata Roy, Convenor, CORE, who was also present in the meeting, said that the government should take up immediate constructive measures to address the legitimate grievances of the employees so that such disruption does not recur.

Any interim measure to restore services cannot be a substitute or correct or appropriate measures, he pointed out, adding that the government, MACS and NACO should ensure services in accordance with its therapeutic, public health and human rights objectives.

Representatives of Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA), Human Rights Alert (HRA), Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS), Centre for Organisation Research and Education (CORE), Indigenous Mothers Association (IMA), Kuki Women Union, etc, were also present during the meeting.

Tomba (name changed), a resident of Imphal East, is thankful to MACS employees that they have decided to resume ART services even though it is for five days only.

Tomba who was greeted by a closed ART centre, JNIMS, yesterday, is worried that if the government fails to take immediate steps ART centres may close down again.

Nolinikanta, President, Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE), said that the government has been made aware of the possibility of such a situation fifteen days before the cease work strike began on March 21.However, it failed to take any actions.

Their inaction has put thousands of lives in peril.

"We share the grievances of the staff on strike and will do whatever we can so that it is addressed.

At the same time we also would like to request the government and MACS staff to resolve the issue amicably", he added.

Condemning inaction of the government, Yangmi, President, TKS, Ukhrul, said that in case the cease work or similar protest continues, hundreds of patients who travel to Ukhrul district hospital for ART will face immense hardship.

Rose Mangshi, President, Kuki Women Union, Tam Zimik, President, IMA, and others, who participated in the meeting today, while urging the government to take immediate steps, also appealed ART staff to continue providing ARV drugs in the interest of PLHIVs.

On the other hand, the Drug and HIV& AIDS Workers stormed the ART centres in RIMS and JNIMS today morning, demanding the authorities to open up the centre and provide ART to the needy.

In JNIMS the authorities opened the centre and provided the medicines to the PLHIVs.

But the ART centre in RIMS could not be made to open by the agitators.

As such a sit in protest was staged at the OPD block.

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