KARACHI: As a result of inconsistencies in daily wages and sexual harassment, lady health workers (LHW) are silently suffering from depression and anxiety, reveals research data collected by Workers Education and Research Organisation (WERO) in collaboration with Public Services International (PSI).

The LHW programme began as part of the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare in 1994. At present, there are 125,000 LHWs in Pakistan, with 24,000 in Sindh.

While discussing the findings at an event on Monday, executive director of WERO, Mir Zulfiqar Ali, said that around 300 LHWs were interviewed in Hyderabad, Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Shahdadpur and Tando Allahyar in Dec 2016. The data collected showed that majority of the women working in the field were married, earning a monthly income of Rs16,245, whereas the monthly expenditure reported by them stood at Rs29,567.

Out of the 300 LHWs, 63 per cent said they have to earn money as the men in their household do not work and so are the sole breadwinners in their family.

In case of a pregnancy, the LHWs are given 20 days off instead of the 90 days legally allowed to a government officer.

Irregular salaries, uncertain conditions, job insecurity, unclear work description and being attacked and abused by the people they encounter are among the problems identified by health workers.

Around 87pc also reported as not having any say once they hand the salaries over to a brother, father, husband and mother-in-law.

Briefing the audience, which included health workers from Sindh, Zulfiqar Ali said that the LHWs were recognised by the Supreme Court in 2012 and the government was ordered to incorporate them. “But the process has remained slow requiring a lot of back and forth discussions with government officials. Some of the discussions concluded successfully, whereas others require more meetings,” he added.

One of the topmost issues discussed in these meetings is that of health workers facing sexual harassment and vulnerability to attacks by religious fundamentalists. Sharing the data, the research by WERO revealed that women generally avoided bringing up the issues they faced in the field, fearing isolation or removal from the job.

During interviews, health workers spoke of being verbally abused and attacked by the families not wanting to vaccinate their child. They also spoke of avoiding sexual advances while on vaccination drives and in turn being accused of having ‘loose’ morals as they go out and work alongside men.

At the same time, 22 women lost their lives due to attacks during vaccination drives in Pakistan, stated the research which carries quotes of the women interviewed.

President All Sindh Lady Health Workers Association, Haleema Leghari, said that women health workers contribute the most to the profession by going to inaccessible areas. And yet, they are treated as if their rights and demands don’t matter.

Former senator Suriya Amiruddin, and resident director Aurat Foundation Mahnaz Rehman also spoke at the event.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2017