Health Assistant Association Nepal has opposed the decision of the Ministry of Health and Population that allows senior assistant health workers to become the chiefs of health posts.

The job of health assistants will be affected if senior assistant health workers are appointed the chiefs of health posts, the association has said, demanding the ministry to withdraw its decision. “We study for three years to become health assistants while assistant health workers study for only 15 months. Clearly, assistant health workers are not as qualified as us to handle the job,” Rabindra Shah, the association’s Province 2 coordinator, told the Post.

Nearly 100 health assistants from across the country had gathered outside the ministry on Tuesday to press their demand. They said more health assistants were on their way to Capital to join the protest.

Assistant health workers have, meanwhile, welcomed the ministry’s decision. The ministry has also maintained that the decision was taken to encourage competition.

“The ministry has tried to allow competition to both assistant health workers and health assistants with this decision. As per our provision, a sixth rank assistant health workers can be a health post chief if there is no health assistant of the seventh rank,” said Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, the ministry’s spokesperson.