Paramedics observe strike in KP

PESHAWAR: The paramedics across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa observed a complete strike and boycotted duties in the public sector hospitals on Tuesday.

They had given a strike call a few days ago and announced suspending services in the public sector hospitals as well as boycotting of duties in the nationwide polio vaccination campaign scheduled for March 29.

Hundreds of paramedics from other parts of KP gathered in Peshawar. They took out a protest rally from the Lady Reading Hospital and marched towards the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly where they staged a sit-in.

Syed Roidar Shah, provincial president of the Paramedics Association, led the protest.

Speaking to the protesting paramedics, he said the provincial government after a series of meetings and protests by them had approved their promotion demand but it was never implemented.

He said the government had approved promotion in 2018 but the health department and other relevant authorities failed to implement it even in 2021.

Before starting their present protest, Roidar Shah claimed, they made several attempts to seek attention of the Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra and his department but in vain.

He felt some people in the government wanted to force them into taking extreme steps that would cause hardships to the poor patients at the government-run hospitals.

This time, he said, the paramedics had made proper arrangements for a long protest in Peshawar and would not leave before the government issue a notification on promotion.

The protesters were later approached by the health minister who nvited them to a meeting and promised to resolve their genuine issues.

Roidar Shah told The News that they held a detailed meeting with Taimur Saleem Jhagra and officials of the health department and they agreed to their demand and promised to issue a notification.

He called off the strike and after the health department issued a notification and approved their promotion.