Long time coming: Bill passed to cover lady health workers’ role

Its passage was expedited after hundreds of the workers staged a sit-in on The Mall.

LAHORE:

The provincial assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a bill to provide legal cover for lady health workers (LHW) who had earlier been working under federal a government programme.

The Punjab Reproductive, Maternal, Neo-natal and Child Heath Authority Bill 2014 was expedited after hundreds of the workers staged a sit-in on The Mall.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the LHWs had been employees of the federal government. He said after 18th Amendment, the subject was devolved to the province. He said the federal government had promised to fund it till June 30, 2017.

He said there were 48,000 LHWs in the Punjab, including 200 supervisors under the primary healthcare programme and family planning initiative.

He said under bill, an authority would be set up to manage the LHWs.

The bill was referred to the standing committee on health on March 13, 2014. It recommended its passage on March 18.

The Health Department had said employees of the National Programme for Primary Health Care and Family Planning were not properly regularised.



The department said while regulating affairs of health sector workers, it was important to keep the basic design of the programme intact.

The government was also asked to establish an authority for providing legal framework for managing staff of the National Programme for Primary Health Care and Family Planning.

After a discussion on the aims and objectives and clauses of the bill, the committee unanimously decided to recommend its passage.

The government shall establish the Punjab Reproductive, Maternal, Neo natal and Child Health Authority.

It will administer and regulate affairs of the employees, including terms and conditions of their services as community-based workers.

Pre-budget discussion

Leader of Opposition Mian Mehmoodur Rashid said proposals on the budget should be prepared in standing committees of the house.

He said the government had promised a 30 per cent cut on expenditure of the chief minister’s office but the finance minister had ‘backed out’ and announced it was a 15 per cent reduction.

He said the government had allocated Rs200 million for the chief minister’s office but then sought Rs50 million more in October last year. He said Rs20 million had been released as supplementary grant for the Governor’s House.

He said that Rs200 million had been approved as additional grants for the chief minister’s security.

He said the chief minister had nine bullet proof vehicles but the government wanted to purchase four more He said the chief minister had formed an austerity committee, but it was not consulted before supplementary grants were issued.

He said development work in his constituency, Iqbal Town, was being ignored. He demanded a uniform education system and allocation of more funds in this regard. He said in last the five years, Rs500 billion were released for the police but there were satisfactory results.

PTI’s Dr Nausheen Hamid demanded more juvenile prisons and, women police stations.

The speaker adjourned the session till Friday morning.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2014.