The Rawalpindi District Health Authority has decided to reinstate 132 male and female dengue patrol workers who were previously dismissed from service.
The decision comes after the Lahore High Court principal seat and Multan bench declared the termination of around 400 workers unconstitutional and illegal, ordering their reinstatement.
The Rawalpindi Health Authority has announced that reinstatement and duty resumption orders for these workers will be issued within a few days.
Messages have already been sent to the dismissed employees, informing them of their restoration.
Meanwhile, dengue control workers across the district have accused the Health Department of negligence.
They allege that although the Director General Health Directorate and the Ministry of Health released millions of rupees in funds to provide government mobile phones, SIM cards, and free internet to nearly 2,000 regular dengue patrol workers between August 15 and August 25, the devices were never distributed.
As a result, workers face difficulties in uploading dengue activity data.
The Workers Union has already sent a formal protest letter to the DG Secretariat, while the Public Health Safety Workers Association has demanded immediate distribution, warning that with only 35 days left in the dengue season, the allocated funds could go unaccounted for.
The Lahore High Court Principal Seat reinstated 45 workers, while the Multan Bench reinstated 360 workers.
The chief officer of the Rawalpindi District Health Authority has assured that 132 local workers will also be restored.
However, dismissed workers and Action Committee Chairman Imam Khan have prepared petitions to challenge the dismissals further.
They announced that if reinstatement orders are not issued by September 29, petitions will be filed in the Rawalpindi Bench of the High Court, attaching the Lahore and Multan court decisions as references.
In light of the Health Authority's assurance of reinstatement, all workers have postponed their planned September 26 protest until Monday.
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