Lady health officials protest in Rawalpindi

Demand that govt clarify its position on national family planning, primary health care programme

RAWALPINDI: Dozens of lady health workers (LHWs) on Wednesday gathered outside the office of the deputy commissioner and protest over their long-pending arrears and non-implementation of service structure.

Over 150 LHWs and lady health supervisors (LHS) had gathered at about 3 pm and chanted slogans against officials of the provincial health department for not addressing their demands and forcing them to come out on roads.

The protestors also carried placards and banners inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands and against the lethargy of the provincial health department.

“We were regularised in 2012. An LHW was given the basic pay scale (BPS) of 5 and an LHS BPS-7. All workers were promised to be paid Rs5,000 every month,” said Rukhsana, president of National Health Workers Employees Association (NHWEA) while talking to the media outside the DC’s office.

“Since then [2012], the promised amount has not been paid to the workers.”

Since lady workers were regularised, the Punjab government has failed to issue the service structure or service books for them, Rukhsana claimed.

Apart from issues of non-payment of arrears and service structures, she said that they were also protesting over the news that the provincial government had decided to end the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare (NPFMPH).

She said that if the government did not clear its position over the programme, the lady workers would carry out a massive protest rally on The Mall in Lahore on May 11.

Asia, an LHS, said that they also wanted the government to revise their pay scales in accordance with their qualifications. Further, she said that the government also needs to include 50 per cent ad-hoc relief amount in their regular monthly salary.

The protesting health workers further urged the government to end a programme of keeping them on duty for 24 hours a day for up to a week. Moreover, they said that they were forced to work for different immunisation programmes such as dengue and polio.

The lady workers also chanted slogans against DC Talat Mahmood Gondal for not meeting with them and listening to their demands. After the slogans were raised, Gondal met with the health workers and listened to their demands. He also took a copy of their written demands.

Later, while talking to the media, Gondal said that issues of LHWs were related to the provincial health department and that their concerns would be conveyed to the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2017.