Anti-dengue drive under scrutiny

Workers protest, blame lack of official phones and internet for weak reporting

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi Health Department has taken stern notice of substandard performance in the anti-dengue campaign, issuing show-cause notices to 120 Dengue Sanitary Patrol workers in Potohar Town.

Those served with notices include 105 Lady Health Workers and Lady Sanitary Patrol Workers, along with 15 male Dengue Sanitary Patrol workers.

The notices state that the workers' dengue larva surveillance and monitoring duties, as well as the submission of reports to the high command, have been found wanting. They have been directed to submit immediate replies, failing which disciplinary action, including dismissal, may follow.

In response, the Lady Health Workers and Lady Sanitary Patrol Workers staged a protest against the notices. They claimed that the Director General Health Department's office had announced the provision of official mobile phones, government SIM cards and free internet facilities for 1,400 male and female dengue workers, and that funds had been released to Rawalpindi for the purpose. However, they alleged that, despite the passage of two years, the promised devices and connectivity have not been provided.

The protesting workers argued that it was unreasonable to expect low-paid staff to bear the cost of mobile phones, SIM cards and internet packages from their own pockets.

They maintained that, if supplied with official mobile phones, SIMs and free internet in accordance with the allocated funds, they would promptly transmit videos and working footage of the dengue campaign to the relevant authorities.

They further stated that the absence of mobile devices and internet connectivity has hampered their ability to send photographic and video evidence of field operations. Even those who possess personal mobile phones, they said, cannot afford regular internet packages. Provision of official communication facilities, they added, would significantly improve overall performance.