The Maharashtra State Health Employees Federation has announced an indefinite protest from July 1, alleging prolonged delays in promotions and administrative inaction in the public health department.New Delhi, India - Sept. 6, 2016: Doctor at a dengue fever emergency clinic at Ram Manohar Lal Hospital. As no of cases increased in mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and Chikungunya in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, September 6, 2016. (Photo by Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times) (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)The agitation will be held at the Directorate of Health Services and will primarily involve Group-C health supervisors, non-medical health officers and district malaria officers, whose promotions have remained pending for years. The federation submitted a notice to the health administration on June 17, seeking immediate action on long-pending service-related issues.According to the federation, several employees have retired without a single promotion despite decades of service. It claimed that more than 150 health supervisor posts remain vacant statewide, affecting career progression and hampering public health programmes.The organisation also alleged that a September 2021 notification adversely affected serving employees’ promotion prospects, resulting in financial and professional losses for hundreds of eligible staff.Federation president Vijay Moharkar said repeated representations to the authorities had yielded no results. “Many employees have completed 25 years of service but are still awaiting promotion. The administration has not taken any concrete steps despite repeated requests,” he said.Among its key demands, the federation has sought immediate promotions for health supervisors, non-medical health officers and district malaria officers.The federation warned that vacancies in supervisory posts were affecting disease surveillance, epidemic control and implementation of national health programmes in urban and rural areas.Dr Vijay Kandewad, director of health services, Maharashtra, said the department was following government norms. “We will send the demand of the employees to the state government for consideration. The same was done even in past,” he said.