LHWs seek release of pending salaries

PESHAWAR: Lady Health Workers (LHWs) have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the provincial government, demanding the immediate release of their salaries.

Speaking at a press conference, General Secretary of Shaheen Union Lady Health Workers Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ishrat Malik, along with LHW Anam Ayub and others said their salaries had been pending for four months. They also demanded regularization and upgradation of their service.

The LHWs warned that they would stage a peaceful protest and sit-in on GT Road outside the provincial assembly building on October 3 if their demands were not met.The LHWs stated that all employees of the Integrated Health Project had been granted a one-year extension until June 2025. Despite this, the department has not paid them their salaries since May 2024, they added.

The provincial assembly had passed a resolution regularizing Integrated Health Project employees and upgrading of regular Lady Health Workers. However, the Health Department has yet to implement these measures, the LHWs said. “Former health minister Qasim Ali Shah and current Health Department officials have repeatedly made empty promises,” Ishrat Malik said. “Thousands of Lady Health Workers are facing severe difficulties due to the government’s cold attitude, and despite performing our professional duties, we are being denied our rightful compensation.”

Ishrat Malik highlighted the plight of LHWs whose households were struggling to make ends meet, as they had not received salaries in four months. “Stoves in many homes of Lady Health Workers have gone cold, yet the provincial government remains unmoved,” she added.

The LHWs demanded the payment of their four-month salaries and one year of arrears, as well as the regularization of the Integrated Health Project, which has been ongoing since 2013. They also called on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department to issue a notification for the pending upgradation of all regular Lady Health Workers. If the demands are not met within 24 hours, the LHWs will stage peaceful protests, and the Health Department would be held responsible for any untoward incident, she added.