PESHAWAR, June 1: The Health Employees Coordination Council (HECC) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has rejected the implementation of the Essential Services Act, saying it is against the interests of health employees.

It also threatened agitation over delay in the law’s withdrawal.

Paramedical Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, president Jauhar Ali told a news conference at Peshawar Press Club the other day that before introducing a law, the government was bound to take all stakeholders into confidence but in the case of Essential Services Act, it didn’t do so and thus, creating unrest among health employees.

Postgraduate Medical Teachers Association president Dr Waqar Alam, general secretary Dr Musa Kaleem, Doctors Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, president Dr Shah Sawar, Young Doctors Association president Dr Alamgir also spoke on the occasion.

They said enforcement of any law, which went against the interests of health workers, would be resisted. They said the government should provide health employees with facilities, which were enjoyed by personnel of armed forces and police and if that didn’t happen, then HECC would give a call for agitation across the province.

“A handful people in the government want to do away with our all health organisations for personal gains, but they will not be allowed by doctors and paramedics to succeed,” Dr Shah said.

He alleged that the health minister, who advocated the enforcement of the law, had a bad intention as the law would promote nepotism.

Dr Shah said all health employees, including doctors and paramedics, had formed HECC to check the government’s exploitative tactics and that the forum would be extended to all regions of the province.

Dr Alamgir rejected the Act as ‘political martial law’ and said it was clearly mentioned in the Article 17 of the Constitution that every department had the right to form associations for their welfare but the ANP-led government went against it.

He said after the Act’s enforcement, not only health workers would suffer but also young doctors and patients would be in distress.

“We are ready to take all possible steps, including holding of rallies and demonstrations, to block enforcement of the Act,” he said.