TOBA TEK SINGH, May 16 Employees of the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI) continued their protest for the fourth day on Saturday while more than 2,000 health department employees, including women, also staged a rally, throwing traffic out of gear on Jhang Road for some two hours.
The protesters reached the district press club and held a public meeting there which was addressed by Punjab EPI employees federation secretary-general Rana Amjad Ali, local president Ihsanullah, Punjab Teachers Union district president Rana Ikram, Women Teachers Union president Miss Safia Haq, lady health staff leader from Jhang Miss Zahida Shah, Labour Party district secretary Tariq Mahmood and leaders of political parties.
They later staged a sit-in and set up a hunger strike camp outside the DHO office, demanding the termination of BHU medical officer Dr Faheem Ahmad who allegedly tried to rape a lady health supervisor at Chak 714-GB, Kamalia.
They said although a case had been registered by the Kamalia Sadar police on Friday against the accused MO on the complaint of the lady health supervisor, yet the accused was not arrested.
The protesters demanded immediate arrest of the DO and the transfer of Punjab Rural Support Programme (PRSP) district manager Masood Anwar and district monitoring officer Muhammad Hanif for allegedly backing the accused doctor.
They announced that the hunger strike camp would continue till the acceptance of their demands.
While EPI employees threatened to bring out a rally and besiege the DCO office if their demands were not met till Monday.
Addressing a press conference, they said EPI employees would also boycott the anti-polio drive being launched from May 25 while they had already refused to participate in the anti-polio training workshops.
EXHIBITION An exhibition of old currency notes and coins was held at Convent of Jesus and Mary High School to raise funds for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of the Malakand division.
Munir Bashir has been collecting the currency notes and coins for the last 20 years and the school management encouraged him to organise the exhibition to raise funds for the IDPs.
Principal Sr Mariam Norick and Ashfaq Fateh inaugurated the exhibition while Munir Bashir told visitors that despite the difference of culture, language and religion “we have one thing common and that is to promote peace, harmony and love for humanity and let everyone live without hurting each other's feelings”.
A large number of students and their parents from various schools witnessed the exhibition and donated funds for IDPs.
APPEAL District Nazim Chaudhry Abdul Sattar has urged the philanthropists to come forward and donate generously for the poor patients of hepatitis which is taking hundreds of lives every year because of costly treatment.
The district nazim said this while addressing a function at Sultan Foundation School where free-of-cost vaccines and medicines were distributed among 81 hepatitis patients.
He announced donating Rs1 million from his own pocket for the purpose. DCO Wajeehullah Kundi was also present on the occasion.
STRIKE District bar association members observed a complete strike on Saturday to press for their demand of establishing a Lahore High Court bench at Faisalabad.
A delegation, led by bar president Chaudhry Ramzan Cheechi, also proceeded to Faisalabad where it participated in the lawyers' convention of the Faisalabad division.
