OKARA: As many as 145 low-cadre employees of the district health department are awaiting justice many months after they were terminated on the pretext of “illegal hiring”.

Among the affected employees were vaccinators, dispensers, sanitary inspectors, operation theatre assistants and CDC supervisors.

One of the terminated officials told this correspondent that the health department had advertised all these posts in newspapers and all the 145 people were selected after scrutiny by a district selection committee comprising EDO Health Dr Saeedullah Khan (chairman), the district officer coordination, the EDO finance & planning, the district officer health and a representative of the health secretary.

He said the selected candidates were issued appointment letters on a contract after walk-in interviews by the EDO health office in June 2013. He further said the appointments were made at a time when the government was in celebratory mode after triumph in the elections.

He alleged that after some time the ruling party parliamentarians pressurised the health department to issue cancellation letter No 8327-36EDO on July 12, 2013, which reads: “As per direction of the Govt of Punjab conveyed through district coordination officer on 11-07-2013 all the recruitment procedure carried out during the month of June 2013 through walk-in interviews is hereby cancelled forthwith. All the appointments issued in response to said recruitment process are hereby withdrawn from the date of issuance.”

Meanwhile, the victims moved the Lahore High Court which has yet to hear the case.