KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has been appealed to regularise 23 contract employees serving Sindh AIDS Control Program (SACP) for past 13 to 22 years as medical officers, counselors, lab technicians, store keepers and office boy.

Concerned workers along with senior SACP official talking to APP Sunday mentioned that a summary, duly recommended by Sindh Chief Secretary and Health Secretary, for their regularization is lying with the CM office for past several months.

“They over the period have turned to be an asset for the facility providing much needed services to the vulnerable groups,” he said.

In reply to a query, the official said since adoption of Regularization of Contract Employees Bill 2013, services of hundreds of workers has been regularized but not of SACP.

“It was only on Friday that services of 145 veterinary doctors were regularized while those of 23 SACP is still awaited,” they said.

Taking exception to unwarranted delay in the regularization of services of 23 contract employees inducted during 1995 to 2005, he said a few of the workers hired under the arrangement passed away while serving the program with utmost sincerity.

This was said to be beyond comprehension as while contract employees of other programs including that of Expanded program on Immunization (EPI), Mother and Child Health program, Hepatitis Control Program, Lady Health workers Program etc have been inducted on permanent basis but not that of SACP.

The contract employees of SACP also include women work force serving as counselors and lab technicians, a highly technical job that requires experience. These contract workers on basis of their hand-on experience have factually turned to be an asset for us, said the official mentioning that serving in grade 1 to grade 17 for past several years they are well versed in their respective jobs.

Meanwhile, Nadim Ali Manghi, one of the contract employee mentioned that he along with his colleagues despite a long service spanned over several years has never been considered for any promotion.

“Due to our “contract” status we neither were ever given any promotion nor any allowance or bonus while we are also not entitled of pension and gratuity,” he said.

Anisur Reham supplementing his colleague said Sindh High Court has also ordered regularization of contractual employees while a law is also in place yet plight of SACP contract workers continues to haunt them for no reason.