Paramedics threaten to halt Covid-19 drive

Say they will protest against denial of risk allowance

ISLAMABAD:

A large number of health workers of public sector hospitals in Islamabad took to the streets on Monday after health authorities rejected a summary seeking Covid-19 risk allowance for frontline warriors.

The health secretary had earlier made the inoculation of coronavirus vaccines mandatory for health workers before they sought the risk allowance.

According to sources, when the list of the immunised healthcare workers was sent to the health secretary, it flatly refused to entertain the summary.

After the summary was rejected, the frustrated frontline health workers of federal government hospitals took to the streets by suspending the ongoing vaccination drive in the healthcare facilities.

They took out a rally from Poly Clinic Hospital to the National Press Club (NPC) and blocked the road for traffic.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against the government and health secretary.

Giving an ultimatum to the health ministry, the protesters warned that they would stop to inoculation drive in all federal government hospitals and end performing duty at the airport for screening of passengers.

The healthcare workers said they performed duty by risking their lives when the pandemic was at peak and the risk allowance was their right.

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The health workers warned that they would intensify their protest if the summary about the health risk allowance was not approved in a day.

They said that the allocations for the risk allowance would lapse if it was not utilised before June 30, the last day of the current fiscal year.

The federal health ministry had sent a letter to the management of all federal government hospitals seeking names and vaccination certificates of health workers, who have got themselves vaccinated against Covid-19 before releasing the risk allowance.

The ministry had directed the heads of all healthcare facilities to send the list of immunized health workers immunised by June 20.

According to sources, the heads of all health institutions had sent the list to the health ministry but the secretary turned it down.

Earlier, the paramedics had given an ultimatum to approve the summary by June 27 and had threatened to stop the vaccination process at hospitals.

Later, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and Federal Parliamentary Health Secretary Dr Nausheen Hamid Hamid held talks with the protesting health workers. Both sides agreed to work out on a formula to ensure the risk allowance for the health workers.

The health workers told The Express Tribune that during the current fiscal year, only those working in the federal government hospitals have not received the coronavirus risk allowance while health workers in provinces have received it.

They said that they were being discriminated against by the health ministry, especially the health secretary.

The protesters said that a budget for the risk allowance had been set aside but the amount was not being released.

They alleged that the health secretary wanted the budget to lapse in the current fiscal year.

The Express Tribune attempted to contact Health Secretary Aamir Ashraf Khawaja multiple times but he could not be reached. He also did not respond to the messages sent on his mobile phone to seek his version on the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2021.