LHWs' sit-in continues outside Punjab Assembly

LAHORE: Lady Health Workers’ sit-in outside the Punjab Assembly entered the fourth day on Thursday.

The LHWs started the sit-in last Monday to press the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government to accept their demands for revised service structure, scale upgrade, regularisation of ad hoc employees and payment of outstanding salaries.

A spokesperson for the Punjab government had earlier on March 20 said 13,000 lady health workers (LHWs) would be appointed in the next four years across the province.

In a statement, he said Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid met the protesting lady health workers and listened to their demands. “The PML-N government had stopped appointments in the department, and it was at the brink of closure… however, the incumbent government announced to recruit more people.”

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He said 4,000 lady health workers died until 2012 during service and they were not given dues by the then government. “The government of PTI accepted the LHWs demand and agreed to pay their dues amounting to Rs 480 million,” the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson urged the lady health workers to end their sit-in as all their demands had been accepted by the government of Punjab.