Health educators want promotion as AHEOs

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 1: The All Assam Health Educators' Association (AAHEA), in its executive meeting held in Guwahati today, rued the apathy on the part of the State Government in fulfilling their long-standing demands.

One of their demands is promoting them as Assistant  Health Education Officers from Health Educators, framing of their service rules, fixing TA and enhancement of their grade pay. They have working in the State without any service rules since 1983.

AAHEA general secretary Sunil Kumar Banik told this reporter after the meeting: "We have been running between the Health Director and the Health Secretary to get our demands fulfilled. We are deprived of facilities that are given to our counterparts in other States. Our main demand is upgrading our post from Health Educators to Assistant Health Education Officers. There are as many as 329 Health Educators in the State, and 20 per cent (65) of us demand promotion as Assistant Health Education Officers. The department so far has promoted only one Health Educator as Health Education Officer. We want ratiolization of the process started."

Banik said:  "A post of Health Educator has been upgraded to the post of Assistant Health Education Officer (AHEO) in 2001. In order to ratiolize the post, the Director of Health Services, Assam submitted a proposal to the Government for 65 health educators to the post of AHEO. The Department has obtained several quarries on the matter and submitted it to the Fince Department with proper justifications for necessary approval. The Fince Department has also obtained several quarries on the matters, which was duly met up by the Health Department. However, the Fince Department sent back the said file with a comment to examine the matter in the light of Assured Career Progression Scheme (ACPS) which was most contradictory, as the ACPS is a general circular for all State Government employees, whereas the health Department submitted its proposal for ratiolization of the post and for the interest of public service in a thread bare manner."

In 2014, Banik said, Directorate of Health sent a proposal to the Health Secretary for the promotion of Health Education as AHEOs. However, even after 13 years the process remains to be sorted out.