FAZAL HAQ
MARDAN: Lady Health Workers (LHWs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have termed the news of their boycott of the polio campaign baseless and a conspiracy to create misunderstandings between them and the government. They have demanded that the government immediately approve their upgradation and fulfill their legitimate demands.Addressing an urgent press conference at Takhtbhai Press Club, the provincial President of Shaheen Lady Health Workers Association, Akhtar Bibi, and General Secretary Ishrat Bibi said that the government must immediately approve their charter of demands and provide them with financial security. District Mardan President Nasira Bibi, General Secretary Riffat Bibi, and Vice President Safia Bibi were also present on the occasion.
They stated that during the sit-in held in October 2024, the government assured them during negotiations that their demands would be accepted. They added that the government had promised to resolve their issues related to salaries and service structure. They emphasized that their demand is for upgradation and the regularization of their services.They highlighted that the salaries of the staff under the Integrated Health Project have been pending for the last five months, and they demanded that these salaries be regularized. They further stated that their rival group, Lady Health Visitors, were upgraded from Scale 5 to Scale 11 and later promoted to Scale 15. Therefore, they demanded that they too should be upgraded from Scale 5 to Scale 9. Although the upgradation and regularization files are submitted with the government, and meetings have been held with the Health Minister and other senior officials, their rival group is trying to blackmail them by staging a boycott of the polio campaign to pressurize the government. However, their group is not in favor of boycotting the polio campaign and will fully participate in it.They appealed to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, to promptly accept their demands and provide them with dignity and financial security. They warned that, unfortunately, the promises made to them have not been fulfilled yet, despite Lady Health Workers being the backbone of the health system. Ignoring their issues is unacceptable. If their demands are not met, they will be compelled to stage another sit-in.
