ANMs Seek Reduction in Workload, Early Completion of Recruitment
The union leaders said making ABHA registration compulsory for maternal and child healthcare services had created difficulties at the field level.
Hyderabad:Auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) under the banner of the Telangana United Medical and Health Employees Union staged a protest outside the commissionerate office at Koti on Thursday, demanding a reduction in their workload, immediate completion of the long-pending recruitment process and resolution of other service-related issues.
Addressing the gathering, the union's state general secretary K. Yada Naik and honorary president Bhupal alleged that regular, contractual and outsourcing ANMs working in the health department were being overburdened with responsibilities, particularly due to the mandatory creation and linking of Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA), especially with regard to maternal and child healthcare services.
The union also criticised the delay in filling 1,931 regular ANM posts, stating that although the recruitment notification was issued three years ago, appointments are yet to be completed. It demanded immediate completion of the recruitment process and issuance of appointment orders to eligible candidates.
The union leaders said making ABHA registration compulsory for maternal and child healthcare services had created difficulties at the field level. They explained that many pregnant women preferred to register either at their parental home or their in-laws' residence, while ANMs are under pressure to meet antenatal care (ANC) registration targets wherever they identify a beneficiary.
They pointed out that generating an ABHA ID requires a one-time password (OTP), but many beneficiaries refuse to share it due to increasing cybercrime concerns. People are also reluctant to provide Aadhaar copies or other personal details, making ABHA generation difficult during field visits. The leaders further said ANMs are now required to complete ABHA linking not only for maternal and child health services but also for immunisation, non-communicable disease (NCD) services and other healthcare programmes.
"It is impractical to ask parents for OTP verification immediately after vaccinating a child, when they are busy comforting a crying infant," the union leaders said, urging the government to simplify the process.