Health care providers of community-based clinic have threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike form February 1 to realise their demand of job nationalisation, reports UNB.

The central command of the Bangladesh Community Health Care Providers Association yesterday announced their future demonstration schedule at a press meet held at National Press Club.

The Convener of the organisation, Sahidul Islam said that in 1996 the then Awami League government first initiated the community clinic service but in 2001 it was shut-down following changes in power in the country.  He also said in 2008 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched community clinic again and after recruiting 13,500 CHCP in 2011 it started to run in full-swing.

He claimed that now the community based health care project is over and 13,500 CHCP are in uncertainty over their livelihoods and future because their service age for the government jobs has already exceeded.

Nayem Uddin, secretary of the association, said that they demonstrated for several times and the Prime Minister and Health Minister in 2016 assured about nationalising within two weeks but two years have passed, the promise is not yet translated into reality.

Now the workers vowed to hold sit-in, work abstention and memorandum submission in Dhaka from January 20 to January 31. If their demand is not met by January 31, they threatened of staging hunger strike from February 1 in front of the National Press Club.