Health employees protest new laws

MARDAN: On the call of the Grand Health Alliance (GHA), health employees on Friday observed a strike against the District Health Authority (DHA) and the Regional Health Authority (RHA) Act.

The protesting paramedics and other staff boycotted duties at the District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital, tehsil hospitals, rural health centres (RHCs) and basic health units (BHUs) in Mardan. The paramedics and other staff stayed away from their duties except for emergency services. All surgeries were cancelled in these hospitals, creating problems for the patients.

The protesting paramedics also closed some out-patient departments (OPDs), laboratories, ECG and other machines in these hospitals.

The doctors, paramedics and other health staff staged protest rally inside DHQ Hospital. They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in support of their demands. Addressing the protesters, Sharafatullah Yousafzai, president All-Pakistan Paramedics Federation, Dr Zia-ur-Rehman, Dr Ameen, Taj Mohammad Khan, Anwar Shah and others said that health employees had rejected the DHA and RHA act. According to them, the government had committed that DHA bill would not be included in the assembly proceedings list, but still, the government included it in the assembly proceedings.

They said that through these acts of law, the government wanted to privatise the healthcare institutions. The speakers said that they would continue the protest till the acceptance of their demands.