Halima Zulqarnai's message from All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union (ASLHWEU) Pakistan

Описание: Halima Zulqarnain, Central President of All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union (ASLHWEU) Pakistan delivers her message at the press conference launching at the launch of “Community Health Work is Work” - a campaign by Community Health Workers across South Asia asserting their rights are workers.

See English translation of Halima's speech below and visit: https://publicservices.international/... for more information about the campaign.

"My name is Haleema Leghari Zulqarnain, Central President All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union. In Pakistan more than 100,000 LHWs performing their duties to provide basic health care to mother and child and to change the traditional & negative mind set of communities about family planning. We were appointed in 1994 as contract workers on meager wages and poor working conditions without any benefits.

The behaviour of Center staff where we had been posted was inhuman and treated us like animals.
We have decided to change this situation and started our struggle in 2008 across the country, organised protest and sit-in in front of parliament house, press club and Supreme Court of Pakistan. We have faced batten charge, tear gas, use of water cannon from police, detained in prison and Terrorist act also imposed by the law enforcement authorities.

As a result Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo moto action and ordered government to regularise all LHWs. Our some essential issues were resolved but still have many issues to resolve like issuance of service structure, up gradation of scales, seniority since 1994, Pension and gratuity and son quota etc.

Now we are facing new challenges of Covid-19. The attitude of community is very pathetic towards LHWs during the door to door visit for polio campaign and other vaccination. When LHWs visit houses, people do not open the door and said you have been brought Corona vaccination. LHWs known as corona and do not allow them to serve polio and other vaccines to their children.
Safety and health of LHWs is very serious issue, government has not provided the safety kits to LHWs, caps and protective cloths.

Since LHWs work as a frontline worker, visit door to door on daily bases, therefore we have more chances to affect from Covid as compared to other health workers. We demand government should provide safety kits including mask, cap, gloves and clothes to LHWs to protect themselves during work.

We also demand government to provide nutritious food and medicines to all LHWs to boost their immunity which will help to protect from Covid.

People in communities raise the question that government emphases to use mask, gloves, caps, sanitizer and protective cloths but why you are not using these gadgets during field visit.
We also request media including print and electronic and social media to raise our issues to change the negative behavior of communities towards LHWs and pressurize government to provide our legal rights which help us to come forward like a soldier to defend us and our nation. Thank you."