OKARA: Health department employees, including doctors, paramedics, nurses and clerical staff, staged protests across Punjab against the provincial government’s decision to outsource basic health units (BHUs) and rural health centres (RHCs).

Demonstrations, rallies, and sit-ins were held in multiple districts, with protesters warning of a complete shutdown of health services if their demands were not met.

In Okara, healthcare workers boycotted outpatient departments (OPDs) and indoor wards at DHQ City Hospital, DHQ South City, THQ Renala, and RHCs in Bama Bala and Dhars Dhuliana.

A protest rally from City Hospital to the Press Club saw participants carrying banners and chanting slogans against the privatisation policy, which they termed economic exploitation of low-grade health employees.

SAHIWAL: The city witnessed a sit-in outside the deputy commissioner’s office, where over 500 protesters participated.

Organised by the Grand Health Alliance (GHA), the protest was part of a province-wide movement spanning 40 districts.

Protesters, including members of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) and the Punjab Rural Health Employees Association, claimed that seven BHUs in Sahiwal had already been outsourced, with plans to privatise 12 more.

They warned that over 1,125 medical professionals in Sahiwal alone could face unemployment if the policy continued.

In Pakpattan, healthcare staff from 74 BHUs and RHCs gathered outside the Deputy Commissioner’s Office. GHA district president Allah Nawaz stated that 1,470 employees in the district risked losing their jobs.

General Secretary Shahid Bodla described the move as the “economic murder” of workers who had served the rural health sector for over a decade.

NAROWAL: Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s office, blocking Narowal-Shakargarh Road.

Demonstrators condemned the outsourcing of 150 BHUs in the first phase, including three in Narowal, with 1,200 more set to be outsourced next month.

YDA chairman Dr Rehan Gohar joined the protest in solidarity, while Health CEO Dr Muhammad Shahbaz urged the government to reconsider its decision.

RAHIM YAR KHAN: A major rally was also held in Rahim Yar Khan, where healthcare workers marched from GPO Chowk to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, suspending health services at all RHCs and BHUs in the district.

Protesters alleged that the privatisation policy was a tactic to lay off staff, worsening financial hardships for healthcare workers already struggling with inflation.

They threatened a mass sit-in outside the Punjab Assembly on April 7 if their demands were not met.

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Similar protests took place in Dera Ghazi Khan, where demonstrators, including members of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), wore black armbands and marched from Kutchery Chowk to the Deputy Commissioner’s Office.

PMA President Dr Asif Gormani accused the government of trying to cover up administrative failures by outsourcing health services, while YDA President Dr Ibrar Sikhani warned of strikes in teaching hospitals if the decision was not reversed.

The protesters across Punjab have vowed to intensify their movement and stage a province-wide sit-in at Charing Cross, Lahore, on April 7 if the government does not revoke the privatisation policy.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2025