Sacking of Class IV health workers stayed

SWAT: A bench of Peshawar High Court here on Thursday restrained the health department from sacking about 80 low grade health workers in Chitral.

About 108 Class IV health workers were inducted by the district health department of Chitral last year.

There were complaints, especially in Upper Chitral, that outsiders were appointed in health units in different villages ignoring even those who had given land for these health units such as dispensaries free of cost.

On the allegations, an inquiry was also launched into the inductions.

Recently, the director general health KP wrote to the district health officer Chitral to retain only 28 of the 108 health workers and terminate the others.

In the meantime, the health workers launched a protest saying since their hiring in December 2019 they have not been paid salaries.

The health workers also moved the high court against their possible sacking, the petitioners told ChitralToday.

Today, Justices Wiqar Ahmed and Syed Arshad Ali of Peshawar High Court restrained the health department from taking any adverse action against the health workers till the disposal of the case.

The order was issued after legal counsel for the petitioners, Rahimullah Chitrali Advocate, told the court that the health workers rendered their services regularly and some of them also contracted COVID-19 but instead of rewarding them the government did not pay them their salaries.

Now, he added, the DG health has ordered the DHO to terminate the services of the workers.