Health supervisor commits suicide over non-payment of salary

Mother of two laid on railway tracks near the Railway Station, committed suicide.

MULTAN: A Lady Health Supervisor in Multan committed suicide on Tuesday for not being paid her four month salary.

Rehana Shaheen, 35, was a mother of two. She laid on railway tracks near the Railway Station and was run over by a train coming from Khanewal. Shaheen was a Jahangirabad resident and worked at the Rajapur Basic Health Centre. Her husband reportedly beat her up regularly for continuing her work despite not being paid.

He expelled her from the house two months ago. She along with her children – 10-year-old Shahzeb and 5-year-old Zeb – moved to her brothers’ house.

On Eid, however, she tried to return home. Her husband kept the children but refused to let her back in.

Shaheen, along with other lady health workers, who had been employed under a programme during the second Benazir government, had been protesting for several months against the non-payment of their salaries.

These health workers had also been demanding the government upgrade them to permanent status. “We have been serving the people of this country for fifteen years, yet we are still contractual employees,” Bushra Arain, the All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Employees Association chairperson, said while talking to Express TV.

She said that their protest would continue until the authorities take notice of their grievances.

She criticised the government for extending the issue to the extent that health workers now saw suicide as the only way out of their miseries.

The monthly salary of these lady health workers is Rs5,000.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2010.