Falling on deaf ears: Lady Health Workers take to the streets over unfulfilled demands

Council of Common Interests holds federal govt responsible for paying salaries

PESHAWAR:

Lady Health Workers (LHWs) held a protest on Monday to press the government to provide a service structure and release their salaries.

Protesters initially gathered outside Peshawar Press Club to raise a voice for their demands and subsequently held a sit-in outside the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

A large number of LHWs from Peshawar district marched towards the Peshawar Press Club and blocked Sher Shah Suri Road.



They shouted slogans against the federal and provincial governments and accused them of failing to solve their problems.

The protesters announced they will not participate in any immunisation campaigns unless their demands are met.

Shazia Mukhtar, a LHW who resides in Banamari, told The Express Tribune  that the government should at least pay them on time if they cannot guarantee them permanent jobs.

Speaking at the protest, Aisha Khan, another LHW, said they will continue to protest till their demands are met.

“The government has totally ignored us,” she said. “This shows their level of interest in our problems.”

Khan also accused the government of violating the Supreme Court’s order to regularise their services.

Unheard voices

There are 13,500 LHWs in K-P, including lady health supervisors, drivers and clerks. In 2014, the provincial government issued notifications to regularise them. This was reinforced by the Supreme Court’s ruling soon after. However, the K-P government has failed to implement the policy so far.

A meeting was held on August 27 to urge the government to implement the order with immediate effect and also pay them their last three months salaries. However, the matter has been swept under the carpet.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, K-P Health Secretary Mushtaq Jadoon said the issue was also taken up during a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), but the federal bureaucracy decided the federal government is responsible for paying the salaries and pensions to the LHWs for the last two years.

“I have directed the concerned officials to take immediate action,” Jadoon added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2015.