All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Employees Association (APLHWEA) Sindh on Monday staged a protest demonstration and sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club against non-payment of their four-month salaries and receiving bribe in issuance of offer letters.
A large number of LHWs led by Provincial President Khair-un-Nisa Memon, General Secretary Shahnaz Ranjhani and Karachi President Samina Ghani protested against non-payment of their salaries for the last four months. Over 100 lady health workers attended the sit-in who had come from different cities of Sindh. The lady health workers were carrying placards and banners inscribed with different slogans, demanding release of four-month salaries, stopping injustice with lady health workers, and removal of provincial coordinator.
Khair-un-Nissa Memon said employees of the national programme for family planning and primary health care, including supervisors, lady health workers, account supervisors and drivers, have been deprived of their four-month salaries. She said offer letters were being issued after taking bribe from health workers.
She said LHWs were not being paid as per their scale. She said three provinces were paying lady health workers Rs 8,000 but in Sindh province, they were still receiving Rs 7,000 per month. She said the LHWs were facing great hardship due to delay in release of salaries.
She demanded of the formation of a judicial commission to probe the mismanagement and irregularities in the national programme for family planning and primary health care in the province. General Secretary Shahnaz Ranjhani said the protest demonstration would continue until their all genuine demands were fulfilled by the authorities concerned. She strongly condemned the bureaucratic hurdles in lady health workers’ salaries and other issues. She said the lady health workers performed their duties to protect children from preventable diseases and unfortunately authorities concerned were not sincere to resolve the problems being faced by them.
