LAHORE - After failure of talks with the Health Department, Punjab Paramedical Alliance has announced to go ahead with the plan of arranging a rally and staging a sit-in outside Chief Minister’s Secretariat for indefinite period on Monday (today).
PPA’s talks with government team comprising Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Kh Salman Rafiq, Secretary Health Jawad Rafiq Malik and Director General Health Dr Zahid Pervaiz remained inconclusive as the officials failed to convince them to call off protest.
PPA Chairman Malik Munir said that the services would be withdrawn from OPDs, Indoors and operation theatres of major hospitals and demonstrations would be held on City roads. The paramedics and health support staff from all over Punjab would take out rally from Jinnah Hospital on Canal Bank Road, turn to Jail Road and then reach Club Chowk to stage a sit-in. The paramedics of Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Punjab Institute of Mental Health, Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Services Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital would join the rally to finally stage a sit-in at Club Chowk. Besides, the paramedics from Lahore General Hospital, Children’s Hospital and Mayo Hospital will also join the protest.
The PPA leaders say that Punjab government had not given service structure to grade-1 to grade-4 employees, while implementation on promised service structure of grade-5 to grade-17 paramedics was stopped and health professional allowance had also not been given. They demanded to regularize employees of Boards of Management, daily wagers and work-charge employees in hospitals.