Contract employees’ regularisation hangs in the balance

Rural Health Employees Association warns of protest if demand not met

HAFIZABAD:  

At least 250 contract employees working in rural health centers and basic centers of health department across the district could not be regularised even after the passage of 14 years. The lack of job protection of these employees could not be addressed despite changes in the governments.

The employees have demanded that their job status be converted from contact to permanent or else they will resort to strong protests and shutdown of health centers.

Sources told Express News that around 14 years ago, the Punjab government had formed seven rural health centers and three basic health centers in Hafizabad District under the Punjab Rural Support Programme (RSP). For the purpose, the government hired 250 employees on contractual basis. These employees have been dispensing their responsibilities with honesty for the past several years. However, despite repeated protests by these employees they were not made permanent.

To make matters worse for these employees, the administrative matters of the health centers were taken away from the RSP and handed over to the Punjab Health Facilities Management Company (PHFMC) at private level. Also, during this time, the different governments that came into power regularised thousands of contract employees in various government departments but those working in the health centers were ignored.

While speaking to Express News, the Punjab Rural Health Employees Association President Muhammad Safdar Langa and General Secretary Rana Muhammad Arshad Mian said that the public gave a huge mandate to the PTI government on its public friendly agenda after which the policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Provincial Chief Minister Usman Buzdar won the hearts of the citizens.

They said the prime minister and CM should take notice of the matter and regularise the contractual employees so that their jobs could be secured.

They warned that if the current government failed to fulfill their demand then all health centers will be locked down and they will take to the streets in protest.