PESHAWAR
Thousands of lady health workers (LHWs) from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa staged a protest sit-in at Assembly Chowk on Tuesday, demanding the immediate implementation of long-standing promises regarding their service regularization and scale upgradation.
The protest, which led to the closure of Khyber Road and Radio Pakistan Road, caused massive traffic jams and severe hardship for commuters under the scorching sun. Holding placards and banners inscribed with their demands, the protesters raised slogans against the provincial government and the health department’s senior officials.
Speaking at the sit-in, representatives of the protesting workers accused the provincial government of showing indifference toward their issues. “Lady health workers are the backbone of the health department, yet we are denied the basic rights and privileges we are entitled to,” one protester said.
The LHWs expressed frustration that despite a resolution passed by the KP Assembly calling for their scale upgradation and service regulation, senior health officials failed to act, allegedly discarding the resolution without consideration.
“No official has approached us for negotiations yet. We will only speak to the health minister directly,” said a protest leader, vowing to continue the protest until their demands are officially accepted and implemented.
