Temporary fix: HIV/AIDS workers end protest as govt releases salaries

Allows National HIV/AIDS Control Programme to function till June.

PESHAWAR: Employees of the National HIV/AIDS Control Programme called off their strike on Wednesday over the non-payment of salaries as the government released Rs13.754 million and fulfilled their other demands as well.

The employees had staged a sit-in since last week outside the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) health secretary’s office claiming they had not been paid dues since the past eight months. Sher Ali, an official of the programme leading the protest, told The Express Tribune the government has agreed to both their demands – of getting their pending salaries released and approving the programme’s PC-1 in June 2014.

He said after the government’s acceptance, the employees called off their protest and will now resume working for better care of HIV/AIDS patients at the two treatment centres in the province.

National HIV/AIDS Control Programme Provincial Coordinator Dr Fazli Mullah said after various meetings of the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP), the government has decided to release the amount for payment of salaries, purchase of essential medicines and other requirements.

He said they also conditionally approved the PC-1 till June, adding the Khyber Medical University will carry out an evaluation of the programme till then, after which they will decide whether to extend the project. Mullah shared the amount has been released by the finance department and employees would soon receive their pending salaries.

A health department official wishing not to be named said, after the 18th Amendment, health initiatives, including the HIV/AIDS Control Programme, have become the responsibility of the provincial government. But the PC-1 of the programme was deferred by the PDWP for the past eight months.

He said 1,800 registered HIV/AIDS patients being treated at two medical centres at Hayatabad Medical Complex and District Hospital Kohat suffered greatly due to the recent strikes. He said the treatment of the disease is lifelong and without it a patient is likely to die of complications, adding the treatment of HIV/AIDS is very expensive and medicines are not easily available in the market.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2014.