Paramedics warn of strike over biometric attendance

MANSEHRA: The paramedics here on Friday threatened to launch protest if the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government did not abandon the plan to install biometric system at the health facilities in the district.

“Biometric system to monitor presence of staff at health facilities is not a viable option in our district as health facilities are situated in far- off mountainous areas and paramedics are already being observed at duties by various monitoring apparatus,” Khalid Khan, the president of Paramedical Association, Mansehra, told reporters here.

He made it clear that his association had already taken up the issue with the Health Department and asked it not to make biometric system functional in the district.The office-bearer said that most of health staff go on field duty and it was not possible for them to make it to the offices.

He said that doctors, paramedics and other staff were already being monitored by the officials of special monitoring teams constituted by the chief minister, deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner and even by the Anti-Corruption Establishment.