ISLAMABAD – The Lady Health Workers Association (LHWA) announced a countrywide strike from today till 50 lady health workers (LHWs) arrested for staging a sit-in at the National Highway near Obaro, Sindh were released.
LHWA head Bushra Arain announced at a press conference on Sunday that the LHWs would continue the protest till their demands were met. She demanded the government release the arrested LHWs and increase their salaries as ordered by the Supreme Court. She said the government was exploiting the health workers by not paying them the minimum wage of Rs 7,000.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Marvi Memon said she would ask the Supreme Court to hold the government in contempt because it had not carried out the apex court’s order to increase the salaries of the LHWs. She said the LHWA and Young Doctors Association (YDA)’s strikes would badly affect the provision of health services in the country and the responsibility of subsequent losses would lie solely with the government.
“I would fight for the rights of every individual whether he or she is a doctor, a nurse or an LHW,” said Memon. Leaders of the YDA were also present on the occasion.
