Boycott by health professionals undermines anti-polio drive.

MIRPURKHAS -- Lady health workers (LHWs) on Monday boycotted the just launched anti-polio vaccination campaign, that was to run till Jan 20, in several districts of Sindh.

The LHWs boycott was part of ongoing protest by Grand Health Alliance (GHA), under which two-hour token strike is being observed at all government hospitals to press the government to accept its demands.

Focal person Dr Amanullah Abro at Larkana confirmed to Dawn the boycott by LHWs. 'We have to achieve the target of administering anti-polio drops to 398,310 children in the district for which 1,231 teams have been constituted to meet the target,' he said.

He said that in order to achieve the target in time and in the absence of vaccinators, services of NGOs field force had been hired. Due to the boycott only 40 per cent targeted population was administered the anti-polio drops, he admitted.

Meanwhile, all organisations which were components of GHA kept away from OPD duties at the Chandka Medical College Hospital, CMC Children Hospital, Shaikh Zayed Hospital for Women and assembled outside the central OPD to register their anger over delay in issuance of notification on the accepted demands.

Grand Health Alliance wants notification of 'accepted' demands issued immediately

The protesters led by Shahi Khan Jagirani, Ms Reshman Langah and GhuAlAam Zehra Solangi marched on main roads before converging on the local press club.

The leaders lamented that a committee of ministers comprising Sharjeel Memon, Saeed Ghani, Nasir Shah and officers of finance and health departments had held talks with the GHA leaders two months ago and assured alliance leaders that the notification on their demands would be issued but this did not happen.

'We are demanding risk allowance, service structure, utility allowances and other facilities. The government had verbally accepted the demands but it is not issuing the notification. It has put the accepted demands on...