DERA GHAZI KHAN

Hundreds of lady health workers (LHWs), their supervisors and drivers held a protest demonstration demanding payment of their last three-month salaries, in front of District Health Development Centre (DHDC) on Jampur Road.
They also staged a sit-in, blocked the Jampur Road for hours to press for their demands, including the payment of salaries, project allowance, EPI training allowance and MNT healthcare programme's payment. They chanted slogans against National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care Coordinator Dr Malik Riaz Ahmed, District Health Officer Dr Abdul Rehman Qureshi and EDO Health Dr Munawar Abbas.
Meanwhile, LHW Shahida Bibi of urban Union Council No-1 got fainted during the demonstration. She was shifted to emergency ward of Teaching hospital DG Khan.
Talking to The Nation, LHW Welfare Association Punjab President Syed Javid Hussain Shah said that 1,200 health workers including LHWs, LHS and drivers are facing hardship due to non-payment of their salaries for the last three months. They are awaiting grant of project allowance Rs4,000 per month for LHWs and LHS and Rs2,000 per months for since November-2014 as government of Punjab has approved it across the Punjab. He blamed that Health Department DG Khan had paid health worker less payment of MNT healthcare programme's training. The department had paid Rs2,400 to skilled persons each instead of Rs3,400, and Rs700 to unskilled person instead of Rs1,200. The remaining amount was still pending, he said.
He also blamed that Punjab Health Department had made the payment of EPI Training that was conducted by UNICEF to all the health workers across the Punjab while in district DG Khan, the health authority was using delaying tactics for the payment. This amount is Rs3,155,200.
During the protest, LHW Welfare Association DG Khan President Asif Javid, Voice President Azra Khalil and Fahmida Bibi were leading the demonstration.
At the demonstration spot, EDO Health Dr. Munawar Abbas along with DHO Dr Abdul Rehman Qureshi and Dr Malik Riaz Ahmed said that their salaries would be paid soon. He added that the delay in disbursement of salaries was not on the District Health part, as the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care was a federal subject. He said that payment of EPI training was under process in the banks. After assurance from the EDO Health, the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Unhygienic food sellers raided: The administration, health and food departments have launched a drive against hotels, meat shops, bakers and other outlets serving unhygienic and substandard food items in the city.
Food teams have sealed three more bakeries and sweets shops namely Data Sweets, Ali Sweets and Multan Rewari Sweets in the city on Friday as they were serving unhygienic and substandard food items to citizens, an official said.
He added that during this drive, 30 unhygienic and substandard food spots including hotels, bakeries and sweets factories have been sealed while 200 samples of food items have been sent to food laboratories, said Assistant Commissioner Asghar Majeed. Food teams have imposed a fine of Rs150,000 under Food Act on different food shopkeepers, he added. The teams have already conducted crackdown on the famous hotels namely Ajwa Hotel at Pull Dat, DG Hotel, Pakeeza Hotel at Faridi Bazaar, Friends Tikka Shop at Saddar Bazar, Admore Petrol Pump Hotel at Kot Chutta and Gujar Tikka Shop at Shakir Town.