LARKANA: Scores of Integrated Health Services (IHS) employees, including doctors and paramedics, took to the streets of Naudero on Friday and held a sit-in outside the camp office of former president Asif Ali Zardari as soon as they came to know about “immediate takeover” by the provincial government of all its health facilities recently outsourced to the IHS.

The employees of 100-bed Naudero hospital took out a procession and marched to the camp office raising slogans against the Sindh government’s decision to abrogate its 10-year contract with the IHS. They told local reporters that continuation of their jobs had become uncertain due to the cancellation of the agreement.

Leading the protesters, Shaukat Bhutto, Zaheer Mirani and others apprehended that the employees hired by the IHS over the last five years were likely to be sacked. They demanded that they should be absorbed in the provincial health department.

Police stopped the protesters from heading towards the camp office. Later, Talib Narejo came to them and received a memorandum from the leaders and assured them that it would be conveyed to the top leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Sources in the health department said that around 250 doctors, paramedics and other hospital employees were engaged by the IHS to run eight basic and rural health centres in Larkana district.

The sit-in continued for about three hours before the participants dispersed peacefully.

The day’s protest was triggered by a letter from the director general of health services, Sindh, asking the director of health services at Larkana to immediately take over the health facilities outsourced to the IHS in Larkana district. The letter cited the relevant directives from Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho.

It also asked the director to ensure maintaining a record of the current status of inventory relating to medicines and other items. The district health officer has been made responsible for a curtailed supply of medicines and accessories to the health facilities.

The DG Health Services, Dr Irshad Ahmed Memon, has also asked the officials concerned to ensure that each component of health services delivery was duly operational with ambulances being in running condition.

As soon as the minister’s directives trickled down to DG Dr Memon and then Larkana DHO Dr Ayaz Ahmed Soomro, the latter issued a letter to the additional district health officer and taluka health officers of Larkana advising them to immediately take administrative and operational control of the taluka headquarters hospitals of Ratodero, Dokri and Bakrani, as well as the rural health centres of Badah and Garillo and 100-bed Government Hospital Naudero.

The Sindh health secretary and all other officials concerned were informed of the takeover.

Dr Khalil Katpar, in-charge of the IHS Larkana, confirmed the development while speaking to Dawn on Friday.

Meanwhile, Larkana Deputy Commissioner Tariq Manzoor Chandio presided over a meeting of the district’s health officials and IHS representatives in his office on Friday. He told the participants that from now on, the provincial health department would look after all these health facilities, according to sources.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2021