SHANGLA: The lady health workers (LHWs) have threatened to suspend their duties indefinitely if they are not paid their withheld salaries within two days.

Talking to mediapersons here on Sunday, they alleged that the health department was adopting delaying tactics in payment of their salaries withheld for last six months, forcing them to borrow money from relatives and neighbours to make both ends meet.

The LHWs said they had to perform in difficult terrains of the district to collect mother-child data under the provincial government’s integrated health project. However, they claimed that they were forced to perform other tasks like vaccination campaigns, which did not include their job description.

LHW Sumera said their reporting officers forced them to participate in election-related duties and vaccination campaigns.

LHW Jehan Bibi said over 200 health workers had been serving in Shangla under the programme since 2018, but their jobs were yet to be regularised.

They demanded of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and health secretary to order payment of their withheld salaries without delay so they could do Eid shopping for their families.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2022