Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Paramedics Association has announced a province-wide protest schedule and warned if its demands are not met the association would go for an all-out strike.
The association also announced boycotting polio vaccination drive as well as Covid vaccination and unveiled the protest schedule to be held across the province in phases.
The protests and strikes would start from January 6. The association accused the provincial government of employing delaying tactics.
As per the protest schedule a strike would be held in Mardan Division on January 6, in Peshawar Division on January 12, in Kohat Division of January 18, in Bannu Division on January 26, in DI Khan Division on February 27, in Malakand Division on February 2, and in Hazara Division on February 16.
There will be one day strike and protestdemonstrations.
After the completion of the first phase of strikes and protests, the provincial cabinet of the association will meet on February 19 to decide the future course of action.
If the demands are not met till then, the meeting will decide the date for a complete strike too.
Talking to The Express Tribune a member of the cabinet said that the provincial government is not serious in solving their problems and accepting their demands.
“A meeting of the provincial executive council of the association was held on December 25 which finalised the plan for the province-wide protests and strikes to be held in phases,” he said, adding that the meeting was chaired by provincial chairman Juhar Shah.
The meeting was attended by the presidents of all the hospitals of the province along with the provincial cabinet.
The meeting noted that the provincial government is not serious in negotiations and solving their problems. It was also revealed to the meeting that the provincial government had employed a policy of delaying tactics so as to buy more and more time.
“It was decided that if the demands of the paramedics association are not met immediately then protests would be held across the province for which government would be responsible solely,” he said, adding that the meeting also demanded that the promotion process of the paramedics should be accelerated because due to delays in promotions many senior paramedics retired without promotions.
The association also demanded that all the surplus grade 12 paramedics should be adjusted quickly and officers of other cadres should be removed from the posts reserved for paramedics.
“The meeting demanded that in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, highly qualified paramedics should be posted on the past of chief executive officer, registrar and controller,” he said.
The association also demanded that at the Director General Health office and Provincial Health Service Academy, qualified paramedics should be appointed on the post of deputy director and assistant director.
Similarly, they demanded that in all the paramedical institutes across the province and in post graduate paramedical institutes principal and vice principals should be paramedics.
Upgraded posts for paramedics were also demanded in the newly merged districts.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2021.
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