LAHORE: The polio vaccination campaign in Lahore district has been deferred in the wake of the ongoing protest by the field staff employed on a contract basis in the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department.

“A majority of vaccinators are the part of the protest and they have refused to perform duty so it was decided to defer the campaign in Lahore district only,” a senior officer of the Punjab government told Dawn on Tuesday.

Punjab’s Emergency Operation Coordinator Dr Munir Ahmed said the campaign was under way in Multan, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Mianwali and Bhakhar districts according to the schedule.

During the five-day campaign, the government is targeting to vaccinate more than 7.5m children under five years of age in 10 sensitive districts of Punjab from Oct 30.

A delegation of the Allied Health Professionals Association held a meeting with the high-ups of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department on Oct 28 to raise their outstanding demands, including regularisation of the services of polio vaccinators, anti-dengue squad workers, employed on contract or daily-wage basis besides withdrawal of the decision of outsourcing health facilities.

A central office-bearer of the Allied Health Professionals Association told Dawn that Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Khawaja Imran Nazir said that a summary had been sent for regularisation of the service of workers employed on a contract basis.

“The minister flatly refused to consider our daily-wage colleagues and to stop privatisation of the healthcare facilities. This forced us to take to the road,” said the association’s official while seeking anonymity.

Meanwhile, Khawaja Imran Nazir told newsmen after visiting the Government Sabzazar Hospital that the process to regularise services of all contract employees was in final stages.

“I am also in favour of regularisation of the service of contract employees of dengue control programme who have been serving for the last many years and a summary has also been sent to the chief minister for the purpose,” he said while adding that some elements were misguiding the innocent workers for their own vested interest.

“Gone are the days when certain officials used to get salary while sitting at home. Now everybody has to perform duty and those who would not fulfill their responsibilities will have no place in the new system,” said the minister while assuring that rights of government employees would be protected.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2017