Protest call by LHWs is blackmailing, says minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Health Dr Yasmeen Rashid has said that the Health Department has already completed working on the seniority of the lady health supervisor and lady health workers for their promotions.

Addressing a press conference at DGPR here on Friday, she said that in such circumstances, the call by the lady health supervisors and lady health workers (LHWs) for protest and sit-in was not less than blackmailing.

Dr Yasmeen Rashid said the PTI government had always acknowledged the genuine demands of the doctors, LHWs and other employees of the health sector. She said so far 44,000 LHWs were performing their duties, and after 2009 first time the lady health supervisors and LHWs were being employed throughout Punjab.

The health minister said LHWs had always played a central role in highlighting the problems of mothers and children and importance of family planning through counselling in the rural areas.

The minister said the Health Department would soon give good news about their promotion. She said recruitment process of LHWs would be formally started in the current year throughout Punjab.

She also said protest for the genuine demands was a basic right of everyone but doing politics on the demands which had already been accepted was a condemnable act. While answering to questions, Dr Yasmeen Rashid said, after the PTI came in power in Punjab, not a single day passed when she did not inquire or pay visits to review the attendance of doctors, availability of the medicines and provision of best treatment facilities in of the public-sector hospitals.

She said 80 per cent positive change had been witnessed with regard all the issues which was a good omen. She said that in the past the people were forced to buy costly medical facilities from a few private medical hospitals because the previous governments had not taken any step to construct new hospitals in view of the increasing population. “We are striving to provide modern and best treatment facilities in public sector hospitals,” she added.

She said the process of accountability had been started in the Health Department along with the other departments of Punjab. Action has been taken against the illegal warehouses and the officers who were involved in delaying purchase of medicines. She also said basic purpose to change the law of Pakistan Kidney Liver Institute (PKLI) was to ensure the best treatment facilities to the patients.

Primary and Secondary Health Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and Punjab Health Services Director General Dr Muneer Ahmad were also present.