LHW decry inclement work conditions

Most deprived of basic rights as employees

ISLAMABAD: Lady Health Workers (LHWs) are facing a number of problems including job insecurity, harassment, unfavourable conditions, insufficient salaries, unclear work description and frequent attacks and abuses by miscreants.

According to a survey on the problems and issues of Lady health workers (LHW), it was revealed that most of them were deprived of even their basic rights as employees, often forcing them to abandon their career.

An LHW Nasreen Akhtar said that despite problems, they have to continue their job in a bid to earn money as they are the only breadwinners of their families.

She added that in case of pregnancy, they are allowed only 20 days of leaves instead of legal limit of 90 days. But the main problem faced by most of health workers were unpaid salaries. "Usually, we get our salaries after three, four or even six months, which perturbed those of us who run the monthly household expenditure."  

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2018.