LAKKI MARWAT: More than a dozen former technicians of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation have demanded their appointment to the recently advertised EPI vacancies in Lakki Marwat district.

The demand was made during a meeting held here on Monday.

The participants expressed concern about the advertising of vacant posts of EPI technicians in newspapers and demanded their appointment to them.

“We’ve served the health department for two years and thus, strengthening routine immunisation to fight diseases, especially polio,” said former EIP technician Sakhi Zaman.

He said 14 EPI technicians had served in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Primary Healthcare Initiative and Unicef for two years and that they had also performed as area chiefs in the anti-polio campaigns.

Another former EPI employee, Mujeeb, said despite excellent performance, his job and that of many others were terminated in December 2015.

“We have been jobless since and thus, living a miserable life due to poor financial conditions,” he said.

The former EPI said the sacked EPI technicians included Sakhi Zaman, Mujeeb Rehman, Abdul Latif, Mohammad Osman, Matiullah, Mohammad Jan, Habibullah, Jan Alam, Wasifullah, Imranullah, Tahir Khan, Habibullah Khan, Imran Khan and Noor Mohammad.

“The health department has advertised the vacant posts of EPI technicians in newspapers seeking applications from those with diploma in health technology,” he said.

Habibullah said the condition of diploma in health technology had barred sacked technicians from applying for vacancies.

“We’ve EPI certificates and two years relevant experience, so we deserve to be appointed to the vacant posts,” he said.

The former EPI employees warned they would move the court of law if they were not appointed to the vacant posts.

STRIKE: Doctors at the District Headquarters Hospital Tajazai on Monday observed strike to protest the local police’s ‘excesses’ against a medical practitioner.

They insisted a plainclothesman, Diljan, misbehaved with dental surgeon Abdul Qayyum Shah on the premises during duty hours.

The incident angered doctors at major health facilities of the district who boycotted duty at emergency and outpatient departments to the misery of visitors.

A member of the doctors’ action committee, Dr Zafar Nawaz, condemned the incident and said doctors won’t end strike until strict action was taken against the culpable policeman.

He also demanded increase in the number of the policemen deployed at the hospital.

Later DPO Mohammad Hasan Iqbal and DHO Dr Abdul Ghaffar Wazir met protesters and convinced them to end protest.

PUNITIVE ACTION: District police officer Mohammad Hasan Iqbal on Monday ordered punitive action against several police officials over corrupt practices, misconduct and links with outlaws.

The orders were issued in light of the recommendations of a committee, which probed charges against the policemen, including assistant sub-inspectors Shadiullah, Waheed Noor, Ghulam Saboor and Mehrullah Khan, former Lakki Marwat police station SHO Irshadullah, ASI Mohammad Osman and other cops including Farzand, Samiullah, Humayun, Sharif, Samiullah Khan and Rahim Gul.

DPO Hasan said the policy of zero tolerance against corruption would be implemented in the police department in letter and spirit, while the reward and punishment policy would continue.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2016