Hitting a snag: Lady health workers halt polio campaign to ask for their dues

The special police force promised by the CM has also failed to materialise

KARACHI:

The road to a polio-free Pakistan hit another bump on Monday as lady health workers refused to conduct a door-to-door campaign in parts of the city as planned to protest unpaid dues.

"The lady health workers refused to work in areas including the Rehri Goth and Rasheedabad union councils (UCs), while workers in Baldia and Gadap towns also staged a protest over their unpaid salaries," confirmed programme supervisor Farhat Sultana. "However, the issue has been resolved," she claimed.



Explaining the wage structure of the workers, Sultana said that the World Health Organisation and the provincial health department pay the salaries. "Unfortunately, we have not received the last five rounds of our dues from the chief minister's cell," she said. "We still have to work for the betterment of our society, however, so we are conducting our door-to-door drive even without our wages and in a highly vulnerable situation."

Meanwhile, provincial health director Dr Zafar Ijaz told The Express Tribune that although there had been rumours about some of the lady health workers refusing to work, the matter had been resolved with the consensus of the lady health workers association. "The media is merely creating hype," he claimed. "The drive is continuing smoothly." He added that the health department launched its polio campaign in all 86 UCs of Karachi on Monday.

Security concerns

Although Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had earlier announced the formation of a special police force that would ensure the safety of the polio health workers in high-risk areas, the campaign has started and the force has yet to materialise.

Sultana claimed that the main cause of the failures of past drives had been security issues. "Sometimes the police refuse to accompany us to high-risk locations," she revealed. "At other times, they make us work in large groups so they can provide an efficient contingent, but the health department demands that we work in teams of two or three members. What are we to do?"

She demanded that the promised special police force be constituted. "We neither have foolproof security nor do we receive our salaries on time," she said. "Is this how we are supposed to rid the country of polio?"

When asked about the security issues, Dr Ijaz said that they already knew about the concerns and had planned to conduct the campaign in these areas between November 15 and 17 accordingly. "We do not want our lady health workers to put their lives in danger," he claimed. "On November 15, we will go to Gadap, Baldia and other vulnerable UCs with the special police force."

The UCs that have been declared high-risk are Gadap UC 4 and 5, Baldia UC 2, Orangi UC7, SITE UC 9, Landhi UC 1 and 2, Korangi UC 3, Bin Qasim UC 2 and Lyari UC 3.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2014.