Government fails to regularise lady health workers

The elected representatives of the ruling party Pakistan Tehree-I-Insaf had made a promise with the Lady Health Workers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before the general elections that they would be regularised and their scales to be upgraded by bringing a policy for the LWHs program but they have failed to implement the promises.
Hajira Ijaz joined the Lady Health Workers Program in 2015 under an integrated health project (IHP) and performs her duty with dedication but like any other women health workers in the department, but her job is not only insecure but her salary gets late for months causing a huge financial impact on her.
She said the Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf leadership had vowed before the general elections during campaign that the PTI was intended that LHWs would be regularised and their scales will be upgraded if they came in the ruling again but months passed and they are still waiting for the government to fulfill its promise.
The Lady Health Worker Program (LHWP) was established in 1994, with the goal of providing primary care services to underserved populations in rural and urban areas.
LHWs visit an average of 27 households a week, providing advice and conducting consultations with an average of 22 individuals each week.
Hajira Ijaz says she was so excited when she joined the LHW job but the passage of time and delay in salaries decreased her passion and dedication to the job. Despite several times assurances from the department and government in the past 8 years neither their scale upgraded nor they were regularised hence still doing the job in uncertainty.
According to the IHP-KP Program website 3540 lady health workers, 217 lady health supervisors (LHS) and 189 the LHS’s drivers, 26 lady health visitors are working under the IHP program in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and currently awaiting for their salaries of the last 5 months.
The last time the KP government regularised 13500 LHWs in September, 2014 and those recruited later this regularization are still waiting for their regularization despite several time assurances by the previous Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf led provincial governments.
Razia Shahid, is a lady health supervisor in tehsil Bisham said that LHWs program was playing a pivotal role in the healthcare system of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, even in elections the administration deployed them for security purposes and without paying them wage although the other staff performing election duties were paid Rs 5000 for the election duty.
LHWs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unpaid for eight months
Ms Razia who is appointed in 2016 in IHP program often wait for her salary for 5-8 months and received one salary after several months which was not only against the IHP program rules but also the basic right violation.
“We have staged protest rallies in Peshawar, Islamabad, and other cities and often assured by the government authorities but still after the elections the government failed to regularize our jobs and upgradation as we are still serving in scale 5 and proved the most ignored government servant,” She regretted.
Shamim Bibi is a lady health worker from Sarkol, Chakesar in Shangla said that she was appointed in the program in 2016. She belongs to a poor background and facing financial problems as their salaries get delayed and they still had to work under the IHP program.
“When I was joining the program, someone had suggested me to join the education sector but today I regret my decision of joining LHW program and my class fellows who had joined teaching job are not only regularized but they are also receiving salaries on time and upgraded too,” She said.
Also Read; LHWs seek regularization of jobs
Shahid Khan, information secretary of the LHW program union, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told that in March 2024, 30 years completed of the LHWs program but the government want hectic work from the house-wives-cum LHWs but it has failed to devise policies for the lady health workers.
He said over a dozen LHWs has been killed in parts of KP in militancy during anti-polio campaign and during Covid-19 they put their lives at risk but performed well without having protective equipments.
Mr Khan said before the general elections, the provincial ministers in a delegation had assured them of regularising their job and upgradation with other demands they were protesting for, but they had failed to mark their words.
He said in August 2018, on the directives of the Supreme Court, the KP government had promised that 12,265 LHWs would be regularized and their jobs will be upgraded but the decision yet to be practically implemented.
The LHWs IHP Program provincial coordinator, Doctor Musa Khan told that they had severally collected documents from the LHWs for their regularisation but despite putting the case in procedure, the government said it had financial issues.
Replying to a question, he said the pending salaries would be released soon.