| July 4, 2005 | Monday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 26, 1426 |
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Paramedics’ strike
Attack on temple
IN a timely move, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet has allowed duty- and tax-free import of unlimited quantities of wheat and flour, raw and refined sugar and 250,000 tons of urea fertilizer. Wheat prices are already on the rise, jumping from nearly Rs 13 per kg in May to Rs 15 in June despite earlier reports of a bumper crop of over 21 million tons this year. The latest wheat crop production reports have, however, cast serious doubts about the earlier estimates thus prompting the ECC to make a move circumventing the possibility of getting caught unawares. Sugar is being currently sold in the market at Rs 27 per kg, up by over a rupee since May. This price is likely to go up further because like last year this year as well the area of sugarcane production, the size of the crop and the per acre yield are all likely to go down further because the growers are believed to have been greatly tempted by other competing crops like sunflower and cotton as the mill owners continue to refuse to make timely payments for sugarcane purchases. Also, about 10 other food items, including a number of pulses, vegetables and poultry products, have become dearer in the meanwhile.
Last year, while the overall rate of inflation had gone up to about nine per cent, the price escalation in food items — driven mainly by supply shortages, distribution dislocation and hoarding — had risen by a massive 55 per cent. This year again, the country is expected to experience a similar pressure on prices because of shortages. In addition to all these factors, in the coming 12 months the country is likely to face a significant increase in fuel and electricity prices because of the latest and anticipated ‘pass-through’ to the domestic consumers of increases in the international oil prices. This has a serious multiplier impact across the board on all prices and will add substantially to the current year’s rate of inflation. The government seems to have taken all these factors into account before taking the decision to open the doors for duty-free import of essential food items. But then, past experience has shown that even adequate supplies do not necessarily guarantee timely and efficient distribution at the outlets. It is, therefore, necessary that the government takes suitable measures and in time to ensure that, in the first place, hoarders do not corner the available supplies for profiteering and, secondly, the availability of these supplies in sufficient quantities in the markets and at reasonable prices is fully ensured.
Here it would not be out of place to warn the government against using the plea of an increase in international oil prices to effect disproportionate increases in domestic oil and gas prices. This not only raises the cost of transportation and business, but also impacts on the prices of everyday needs. Of course, it would be economically unrealistic to have the budget absorb the brunt of the world oil price increase. But then, there is no economic logic in letting the very companies which market oil and diesel in the country fix their prices. It amounts to legalized cartelization and encourages irresponsible price fixing. It is, therefore, time for the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to take up what is rightly its responsibility.
THE strike call by paramedics in Sindh last week, along with a similar strike call by paramedics in Peshawar, may have succeeded in drawing attention to their long-standing grievances but with painful consequences for the poor patients whose needs for care and attention suffered for lack of paramedical staff at public hospitals. This is not the first time that paramedics have resorted to strikes to call attention to the government’s failure to provide them with a comprehensive service structure. In the NWFP, they observed a province-wide strike in April after the provincial government failed to redress their grievances. The same is true of Sindh where paramedics have intensified their protesting methods. There is no doubt that the paramedics’ grievances are legitimate — they are appointed in BPS 6 or 9 and, irrespective of the quality of service and years they spend in the profession, they are not promoted like nurses and doctors. They are required to work in strenuous, often hazardous, situations but are not adequately rewarded for it. That hospitals are unable to function without them, and that patients are often turned away as in the present case, is enough to underline how important their services are to the health system.
Paramedics have made their grievances known to the provincial governments through various methods, at various times, but to no avail. Despite official assurances over the past one year that a service structure will soon be created for them, nothing has happened. This explains why, out of sheer frustration and perhaps desperation, they are now resorting to strikes. However, in all this, it is the poor patients who have often to suffer the hardship and pains of a total or partial paralysis of some public hospitals as a result of strikes by paramedics or other personnel. Perhaps there is some hope in the federal government’s proposal in May to establish a paramedical council on the lines of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. This would ensure standardization of paramedical educational institutes and pave the way for paramedics’ higher education and training. This will also improve their chances of getting due promotions. But before that can happen, the immediate demands of the paramedics should be met. At present, there are 100,000 paramedics working in the country, a number that needs to be substantially increased if peoples’ medical needs are to be seriously addressed.
ANOTHER case of religious bigotry has reared its head, this time in Nowshera where angry residents attacked a temple on Wednesday incensed by reports that a Christian man had desecrated the Holy Quran. Yusuf Masih is a sweeper who was following his employer’s orders to burn waste paper when children in the area claimed to have seen him burning pages of what they believed was the Quran. They alerted elders of the area whose angry reaction led to Yusuf being taken into protective custody by the police, who, incidentally, believe him to be innocent. The anger did not subside as a mob ransacked and looted the temple, causing Hindu families to flee the area. The chief minister immediately ordered an inquiry into the incident while 13 men were arrested for vandalizing the temple. He has ordered the restoration of the temple, which was also the target of mob fury in 1992 when the Babri mosque incident took place in India, indicating that the area is particularly prone to religious violence. As a result of the dreadful incident, families fled and are still frightened of returning to their homes.
Only a few months ago, Nowshera was the scene of another blasphemy incident in which a man was lynched by a mob. One hopes Yusuf’s case is quashed and peace and order are restored in the area. Religious leaders need to play a responsible role in educating people on how they cannot take the law into their own hands. Instead of inciting people to take part in vengeful and violent activities, they should teach them the importance of restraint. Minorities live under constant fear because the blasphemy law can be used to ignite hatred against them on the slightest pretext. The government should assure minorities that their safety will be protected under all circumstances.