The Grand Health Alliance (GHA) — a collective of healthcare workers campaigning for better working conditions — followed through with their threat of marching on the Sindh Chief Minister’s House if their demands weren’t met, causing traffic problems for citizens on Friday.
On Thursday, a representative of the alliance had announced that the protesters — who have been holding a sit-in outside the Sindh Secretariat since Monday — would march towards CM House after Friday prayers if the government failed to make the health risk allowance part of their salaries by noon.
Last month, the health department had withdrawn the Covid-19 risk allowance on the grounds that the pandemic no longer posed a threat to the population.
On Friday, the alliance followed through with its warning and set out for CM House from the Karachi Press Club (KPC). However, they were stopped outside DJ Science College by police who erected temporary barriers on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road.
Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, the thoroughfare towards the Sindh Chief Minister’s House, has over the past week been intermittently barricaded because of these protests. The road is a major artery in the city and blockades result in traffic snarls along other paths.
South SSP Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com that the protesters had staged a protest on the main road.
The officer added that the government was engaged in talks with the protesters while a committee comprising provincial ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon, Saeed Ghani, and Nasir Hussain Shah was also expected to hold talks with the demonstrators today.
The SSP said the protesters had taken to the streets against the discontinuation of their health risk allowance and were now demanding its restoration.
Meanwhile, Sindh CM spokesperson Rasheed Channa told Dawn.com that the provincial administration had not asked the police to block the road outside the CM House, which was causing problems for commuters.
“The law enforcers have placed barriers on the road as part of standard operating procedures,” Channa said without elaborating further.
Patients across Sindh continue to face difficulties as doctors, nurses and paramedics have boycotted all outpatient services except that of emergency care.
The protesters are demanding the restoration of the risk allowance implemented over two years ago when the pandemic had struck the country.
An amount of Rs17,000 was given to the healthcare providers from grade one to 16 whereas Rs35,000 to those above grade 16. It was discontinued in 2020 as well, but later was resumed following protests.
A few days back, the police had detained over a dozen healthcare workers trying to march towards the Chief Minister’s House.
