PESHAWAR: The Paramedical Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced province-wide strike from Dec 25 to push the government to announce service structure for the paramedics and reverse transfer orders of the office-bearers of the body.

The announcement was made at a press conference after a meeting of the executive council of the association here on Sunday, according to a press release.

On the occasion, the association’s president Syed Roidar Shah said all the members would wear black armbands if their demands were not met by Dec 25. The token strike would continue for three consecutive days, he added.

On Dec 28, he said there would be general meetings of the association at each hospital of the province to remind the government about their demands. He said there would be complete strike on Jan 3 across the province that would be followed by a general body meeting at the Jinnah Park Peshawar after which a protest march would take place that would culminate on the provincial assembly.

He said responsibility for any untoward incident during the course of the strike would rest with the government. However, he said emergency cover would be provided to save the lives of critically-ill and injured people during the strike. Mr Shah demanded that incomplete service structure for paramedics be completed with increase in the ratio of promotion to high grade posts and qualified members be allowed for limited private medical practice. He also demanded adjustment of paramedics who were recently promoted from BPS-16 to 17, appointment of paramedics on posts of registrar and controller examinations in medical faculty, removal of secretary medical faculty and award of health professional allowance to class-IV staff.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2017