Paramedics observe strike in Multan for service structure

MULTAN: Paramedics of all public hospitals Thursday observed strike, staged a demonstration and took out a rally in favour of their demands.

They demanded the government for entitlement of health professional allowance and risk allowances to them. They warned complete strike in all the hospitals of Punjab on February 19 and 20 if their demands are not met.

All the paramedics of Nishtar Hospital, Children Complex, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi Institute of Cardiology, Fatima hospital, Mian Shahbaz Sharif Hospital and health office employees jointly took out a big rally under the aegis of Allied Health Professional Association (AHPA). The rally started from Children Complex and culminated at Fawara Chowk peacefully, where the paramedics held a protest meeting there. They were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans for the acceptance of their demands.

The protesting paramedics demanded health professional and risk allowances for the paramedics of scale 5 to 17, the establishment of paramedics council and upgradation of service structure in Punjab alike the KP health service structure and entitlement of all employees with scale 12 instead of 9. They demanded regularisation of all the paramedics who are performing special duties to prevent the dengue spread. They demanded the Punjab government to withdraw privatisation proposal of public hospitals. The government should introduce four tiers service structure system for scale 9-17 paramedics. The paramedics demanded stipend for education.

AHPA president AD Kanwal said that the paramedical staff was the backbone of the health department. The paramedics attend dengue cases, bomb blast and flood cases in emergency conditions without taking their lives into consideration.

He said the Rescue-1122 and the bomb disposal department received special packages from the government but the paramedics were not entitled to any special package despite performing the same nature of the job. He demanded allowance for the computer operators.