HYDERABAD: A large number of lady health workers (LHWs) staged a protest sit-in outside Shahbaz Building against non-payment of salaries, dues for election duties, bonus and pending arrears of increment.

They came from various districts including Jamshoro, Matiari, Badin, Thatta and others. Shouting slogans against Hyderabad district health officer (DHO) Dr Riaz Qureshi, Hyderabad SSP Adeel Chandio and others, they kept both tracks of the main road outside Shahbaz Building blocked from 11pm to 1.30pm in an attempt to press the district administration to fulfil their demands forthwith.

Led by Rahila Shaikh, Hameeda Bano, Erum Izhar and Shahida Parveen, they said LHWs were forced to perform election duties as women searchers at polling stations from 6am to 1am on July 25. They complained that they were frequently called to police stations before the elections, but they were not being paid for those duties.

They also protested against the Hyderabad SSP for not addressing the issue of harassment by police before and after elections.

They demanded of the Sindh government to issue an identity and unique number to each LHW so that their salaries could be released through treasury.

After meeting with Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner M. Aslam Soomro at his office, Rahila Shaikh, Sindh LHW programme official Dr Fahad Sammo and anti-polio focal person Dr Masood Jaffri told LHWs and media that the DC had held out assurance to solve their problems soon.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2018