Daily Times

KARACHI: Health provision facilities to the visiting patients at Sindh’s healthcare facilities on Tuesday suffered a blow as patients waited for long for the treatment and medical advises after nursing staff boycotted the work in support of their demands.

Earlier Joint Nurses Action Committee Sindh had announced to observe a province-wide strike in favor of their demands including promotion to higher grades, increase in allowances and stipend.

In this connection, a large number of nurses across province gathered outside Karachi Press Club and staged sit in.

Speaking on the occasion, members of Joint Nurses Action Committee Sindh, including included Aijaz Kaleri, Gulnaz, Badar Abro, Abdul Wahid and Qamar Baloch and others said that they had given a deadline to the government for the fulfillment their demands till February 6, but government did not pay any heed.

Speaking on the occasion Aijaz Kaleri said that promotions of Sindh’s nurses are not being done for last thirty years. He demanded for timescale promotions at earliest.

“Like other provinces health allowances, high risk allowances, mess allowances should be enhanced,” said Kaleri.

Protestors said that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stipend for nurses is Rs. 20,000 while in Punjab it is Rs. 15,000. On the contrary here in Sindh, the monthly stipend is only Rs. 6,800 even that was not timely delivered.

“In SIndh, nurses are being deprived of time-scale promotions, while health, mess and dress allowances had also not been increased on the patron of other province as well as the federal government,” Nadia, a protestor told Daily Times.

She also demanded to upgrade the teaching staff and teaching allowances should also be awarded accordingly.

Protestors also demanded to activate the Department Promotion Committee at earliest. Besides that various posts of Deputy Controllers and Assistant Controllers are lying vacant, which should be granted promotions.

Protestors said that the protest would continue till the fulfillment of their demands.