MARDAN - Hundreds of Lady Health Workers (LHWs) Monday staged a protest rally in front of the Mardan Press Club and announced boycott to the three-day anti-polio drive.
The rally was led by Provincial President Saeda Farooz, Vice President Sameena Naeem, Ilfan Begum and other office-bearers. The protesters were holding banners inscribed with their demands and also chanted slogans against the provincial government.
The protesters blocked the road for several hours to press the local administration for acceptance of their demands.
Later on, the protesters walked toward District Headquarter (DHQ) hospital where they staged a sit-in.
Talking to the reporters, LHW Association Provincial Chairperson Saeeda Feroz said the provincial government should issue notification regarding regularisation of their jobs, pay their salaries according to their scales and also pay arrears from July 2012. "Before every measles or polio drive, the government promises us regularisation and fulfilling our demands but later on they turn deaf ear to our demands. Now our children are dying of hunger and compelled us to boycott the ant-polio drive", they added. They said that majority of workers were unable to pay their school fees of their children, houses' rents and medical bills.
Later on, the local administration arranged meeting with the office-bearers and assured them that they would fulfil all their genuine demands. After the assurance, the protesters dispersed peacefully.