Synopsis
Protests have erupted in Punjab, Pakistan, as healthcare workers rally against the privatization of basic health units. Employees from various sectors express concerns over job security and economic exploitation amidst plans for outsourcing healthcare services.Key Takeaways
- Protests in Punjab against healthcare privatization.
- Health workers claim outsourcing threatens job security.
- Seven BHUs in Sahiwal already privatized.
- Demonstrations organized by Grand Health Alliance.
- Female workers plead for job security during protests.
Punjab, March 16 (NationPress) Protests broke out in the Punjab province of Pakistan as health department personnel, consisting of doctors, paramedics, nurses, and clerical staff, organized rallies against the provincial government's initiative to outsource basic health units (BHUs) and rural health centers (RHCs).
A demonstration in Okara from City Hospital to the Press Club featured participants holding banners and shouting slogans opposing the privatization policy, which they labeled as economic exploitation of lower-tier health workers, according to local media reports on Sunday.
Protesters, including members of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) and the Punjab Rural Health Employees Association, asserted that seven BHUs in Sahiwal had already been privatized, with intentions to outsource 12 more.
Coordinated by the Grand Health Alliance (GHA), the protest is part of a province-wide movement encompassing 40 districts. In Okara, healthcare personnel boycotted outpatient departments (OPDs) and inpatient wards at DHQ City Hospital, DHQ South City, THQ Renala, and RHCs in Bama Bala and Dhars Dhuliana, as reported by Dawn, a leading newspaper in Pakistan.
Resistance against the privatization strategy of the Punjab government persists in the cities of Chakwal and Talagang within Punjab province. On the inaugural day of the protests, numerous Basic Health Units (BHUs) employees assembled in front of the Chakwal Health Department CEO's office and raised slogans.
In the subsequent phase of the protest, employees gathered outside the Chakwal Deputy Commissioner's office, stating that they had dedicated 30 years to these centers, which were once refuge spots for drug addicts and stray animals.
"While Punjab faces privatization and our jobs are being jeopardized, employees in the other three provinces are even receiving advance salaries for Eid," a protester expressed to the prominent Pakistani daily, The Express Tribune.
During the demonstration, female workers were observed weeping and imploring the Chief Minister of Punjab to protect them from unemployment. They stressed that they were not requesting pensions, additional benefits, or salary increases but merely sought to retain their jobs, according to local media reports.
