ISLAMABAD – Regularization of services of Lady Health Workers (LHWs) will have a strategic impact on the outreach programme of health care in the country with specific emphasis on child and mother care.
According to health experts, LHWs have important role in the health care delivery system particularly in rural areas, which will further improve with their regularization.
“After job regularization now LHWs will do their responsibilities in more organized manner that will defiantly help reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rate in the country,” said Dr Sharif Astori from Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC) while commenting on government decision of regularization of services of LHWs.
He said that LHWs have already an important role in country’s health care system. Their performance have been appreciated at many international forum and now they have become regular component of this health care system.
He said that LHWs are playing an important role in far-flung areas of the country and suggested to further expand their responsibilities to ensure provision of better medical care to people.
Representatives of para medical employees’ organizations have also hailed the decision of PPP led coalition government to regularize the services of Lady Health Workers.
They expressed the hope that the government will provide secure working environment for other contractual employees working in medical field and utilize their abilities for the welfare of the people of the country.
Representatives of LHWs and supporting staff also thanked the government for fulfilling their demand and assured that they will do their work with more commitment and dedication.
They said Lady Health Workers Programme was conceived and initiated by Benazir Bhutto under the National Programme for Family and Primary Health Care and now her party’s leadership again presented them a great gift by securing their job.
They said that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf during meeting on 3rd January 2013 with a delegation of LHWs promised to accept their longstanding demand for regularization of their services.
It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had approved the regularization of services of 105,086 LHWs including their supporting staff presently serving in the provinces, federally administered areas, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The Prime Minister had also approved the concurrence of the Federal Government to reimburse the entire financial impact of this measure to the provinces including arrears.
The Prime Minister approved proposal to put up the issue of federal financing of the programme beyond 2015 before the forthcoming meeting of Council of Common Interest for consideration and approval in the next National Finance Commission.
The Prime Minister approved Federal Government’s financing the pensionary liabilities due to the retirement of these employees upto the period of financing by the Federal government.
However, the Provincial governments will pay pension or institute contributory pension funds from their own resources for these regular employees as per the prevalent provincial laws and rules.