KHYBER: Hundreds of polio workers here in Landi Kotal have demanded increase in their salaries, saying they have not been given any increment since their induction about five years ago.

The health authorities had engaged over 300 local polio workers in Landi Kotal under the Community-Based Vaccination (CBV) programme to enhance the number of children vaccinated against the crippling diseaseand also to minimise chances of refusal cases among parents.

Sources told this correspondent that these health workers were engaged on an ad hoc basis with a monthly salary of Rs17,500 in March 2016 with theobjective to convince the local community through their own people to eradicate polio from the tribal districts and also to convince the parents in a more friendly atmosphere to get their children vaccinated against polio.

Talking to Dawn on condition of anonymity, some of these workers said that despite achievement of certain objectives they could not get a raise in their salaries.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2021