PESHAWAR, Feb 8: The employees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department on Friday criticised the provincial government for using delaying tactics in approval of service structure for them and threatened to launch a protest campaign from Feb 12 if their main demand was not accepted in next three days.

The Feb 11 deadline was set by provisional Health Employees Coordination Council president Prof. Musa Kaleem during a press conference in Peshawar Press Club.

He said that their main demand was provision of service structure to the employees, including doctors, nursing staff and all class four workers, and threatened to launch province-wide protest movement if this was not accepted by the health department within three days.

He said that despite repeated appeals and meetings with authorities, the government did not show any interest in solution of their problems, which had caused unrest among them.

“All health employees, including doctors, paramedics and nursing staff, should be taken into confidence over formulation of health policy,” he suggested and said that by doing this the government would be able to overcome the issues.

Dr Kaleem asked the chief minister and provincial health minister to ensure free medical treatment to patients in all government hospitals of the province and solve the employees’ problems.

Flanked by council’s general secretary Johar Ali and other office-bearers, Dr Kaleem said that degree classes for paramedics should be started in Postgraduate Medical Institute and construction work on proposed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto medical college started without any delay. — Bureau Report