PESHAWAR, April 27: NWFP Paramedical Association has announced the schedule for a province-wide strike to press the government for the acceptance of its demands. This was decided in the meeting of the association’s executive council which was held under its president, Sirajuddin Burki, at the Lady Reading Hospital here on Wednesday.
It said paramedics along with doctors and nurses formed a triangle that ran the healthcare system; however, paramedics did not have a service structure whereas doctors and nurses had bright chances of promotions to the next grade.
The meeting was informed that a committee headed by NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq along with accountant general, secretaries of health, finance and other departments in its meeting held on Dec 22 last year had given approval to the service structure for paramedics in principle, but the notification in this regard was yet to be issued.
It expressed concern that the chief minister was adamant to sanction service structure for more than 10,000 paramedics, which had created unrest among them.
The meeting also said that last year they had announced strike that was postponed because of the assurances held out to the association that their job structure would be approved.
The meeting pledged that this time the strike would continue till the acceptance of their demands.
STRIKE SCHEDULE: According to the executive council’s decision, the association will observe complete strike in all hospitals of Dera Ismail Khan on May 27. A protest meeting will be held the same day at the district headquarters hospital (DHQ).
Strike will be observed on May 25 in the hospitals in Bannu district and a protest meeting has been planned the same day at the DHQ Hospital, Bannu.
While strike will be observed in all health facilities in Mardan and Swabi districts on June 2, which will be followed by a protest meeting the same day.
The meeting also decided that the paramedics will go on complete strike in hospitals in Mansehra and Abbottabad districts on June 14 that will be followed by a protest meeting in DHQ Hospital, Abbottabad.
In Malakand, the paramedics will observe complete strike on June 23 and a protest meeting will take place at the DHQ Hospital, Batkhela, on the same day.
In the last leg of the strike schedule, complete strike has been planned in all the teaching hospitals of Peshawar city on July 7. The same day a protest meeting will be held at the Lady Reading Hospital, where provincial leaders of the association will announce their future line of action.
The meeting constituted an action committee which was authorized to propose strategies and take measures for the attainment of their demands. It was also decided that the association’s members would render all sorts of sacrifices, including arrests by the police, but not surrender.