Polio workers protest against harassment
A health official checks polio workers, wearing masks, for fever before the immunisation drive. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
Female polio workers belonging to Hayatabad Union Council staged a protest against harassment by their senior officers on Saturday.
The participants alleged that they were being harassed by their own officers who regularly call them after the polio vaccination campaigns and try to meet them.
“They call us and direct us to meet them any time and if we do not oblige by their demands, they begin threatening us with removal from the service,” the female polio workers said. “Some of them shoot our videos during the campaign and then blackmail us.”
The protestors highlighted how several female workers were fired from their jobs when they refused to entertain demands made by the senior officers.
The protesting workers demanded the health minister and K-P government to take notice of the situation otherwise all the female polio workers would join the protest and boycott the vaccination campaign.
These polio workers also submitted a written application against the senior officers responsible. An inquiry into the incident has been initiated and further investigation into the incident is underway.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2020.