SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Doctors and class-IV employees of Moley Khan Sarai Hospital in Servekai subdivision of Upper South Waziristan district shut the facility on Friday to protest non-payment of salaries for three months.

The hospital, which is being operated under a public-private partnership, provides healthcare services to people in the remote areas of the subdivision.

The protesting employees said they had not received their salaries for three consecutive months, causing them serious financial difficulties.

They said that they had repeatedly approached the relevant authorities and the hospital’s management for the release of their outstanding salaries, but their requests had not received a satisfactory response. They added that they were left with no option but to stage a protest and suspend hospital services to draw attention to their grievances.

The employees demanded immediate payment of their three months’ outstanding salaries, saying that they were performing their professional duties despite financial uncertainty and growing economic pressures.

A social activist, Jamal Malyar, who joined the protest to express solidarity with the employees, said he had held discussions with the hospital’s medical superintendent (MS) and other relevant officials regarding the issue.

According to him, the officials assured the protesters that the outstanding salaries would be released within a few days.

Mr Malyar said that following the assurance given by the hospital management, all services at the facility would remain operational until the 18th of the month. However, he warned that if the employees were not paid by the deadline, he would also join them in their protest.

He appealed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to ensure the early release of the outstanding salaries, saying that hospital employees should not be subjected to further financial hardship.

The protesters also called for a permanent mechanism to ensure timely payment of salaries in the future, arguing that repeated delays were affecting staff morale and could undermine the delivery of essential healthcare services to people.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2026