Motion on lady health workers’ problems deferred

Karachi: The joint opposition in Sindh Assembly moved an adjournment motion on Tuesday to debate on the problems being faced by lady health workers (LHWs) but it was deferred till Monday, as Law Minister Ayaz Soomro assured that he would get necessary information from the federal government in this regard.

Ms Nusrat Abbasi from opposition told the house that the federal government had launched the Prime Minister’s Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care through the Ministry of Health in 1994, which was aimed at delivering basic health services at the doorsteps of the poor segments of society through LHWs. She said that these workers have been providing services to their communities in the fields of child health, nutrition, family planning and treatment of minor ailments. The LHWs constitute the backbone in the health care system through the health house system (house of lady health worker), she added.

Despite this, she said, the government has stopped paying salaries to the LHWs without any proper cause for the last four months.

Ms Abbasi contended that since the matter bears public importance the government should immediately release the salaries of LHWs and regularize their services in order to effectively provide health services at the doorsteps of poor segment of society.

Law Minister Ayaz Soomro contended that the matter pertains to the federal government and suggested that the issue should not be pressed till he gets necessary information from the government, following which Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro deferred the adjournment motion till Monday.

Source: The News

Date:1/19/2011