Injured healers

The 300 or so nurses who staged a protest last week on the Mall in Lahore and are continuing with the action in search of better pay, have faced a rough time from the police. Even though the Punjab health secretary, on the orders of the provincial chief minister, set up a committee to look into their concerns — it is yet to be seen if this is worth the insults the nurses, gathered from many hospitals in the city, suffered during their protest. So far the talks have been inconclusive.

The nurses, meanwhile, have suffered. They were beaten by police, FIRs have been registered against them and shopkeepers hurled eggs at them. All this simply because they want better pay for the arduous work they do on a daily basis. The treatment the nurses experienced at the hands of police and also onlookers needs to be investigated and those personnel who exercised disproportionate use of force should be held accountable. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has also rightly condemned what has happened and demanded that the police respond calmly.

Time and again we have seen law-enforcement personnel go overboard in the handling of peaceful protests by citizens attempting to draw attention to their concerns. The irony is that full security cover is given when jihadi groups or banned sectarian organisations hold demonstrations, reflecting skewed priorities on the part of the state security apparatus. It is time our police was trained to handle such demonstrations in a fashion that does not inflict physical injury on citizens and that it was held accountable for any excessive use of force. The matter also ties in with the broader attitude towards nursing and those who pursue the profession. Though it is a vital one as far as health care goes, the fact is that nurses are regarded as second, or even third class citizens who deserve no respect and no dignity. This is linked to a great number of social factors. It is also one reason for the poor pays they draw and the long hours of service expected of them.

This issue needs also to be addressed. The nurses, for now, are continuing their protest. We must hope that it ends with them receiving the perks that they seek and being enabled to work with greater professionalism in the future as a result of a boost to their morale which they badly deserve.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2011.