Dozens of employees of hepatitis prevention and control programme (chief minister’s initiative) have shut down the hepatitis centers and clinics across the Sindh province against non-confirmation on their jobs and not meeting of their other demands, PPI learned on Tuesday.
A senior official of hepatitis prevention and control programme on condition of anonymity confirmed that hepatitis centers and clinics had been closed throughout the province since last six days due to non-conformation of contract employees on their jobs.
He said contract employees had also established protesting camp at provincial hepatitis control programme office in Hyderabad. The closure of hepatitis centers and clinics had increased the miseries of patients suffering from hepatitis, he added.
Official said contract employees working in hepatitis control programme since 2009 could not be regularised yet despite several assurances from high-ups. He said hepatitis control programme had already been facing shortage of medicines and injections due to non-release of funds for last several months and now they face another setback due to closure of centers and clinics in the province.
Provincial Programme Manager, Sindh Hepatitis Prevention and Control Program, Dr Kazim Raza when contacted said about 300 employees working in the programme since 2009 on contract basis could not be regularised.
He said the employees had been protesting for last five days due to which hepatitis centers and clinics remained close in the province. He, however, said that contract employees called off their boycott and resumed their duties on 16th December 2014 after his assurance. He said the authorities concerned were well aware about situation. He hoped that contract employees would hear good news soon in this regard.
