LARKANA: On the call of Grand Health Alliance, paramedical staff, staff nurses, and doctors working under the administrative control of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and lady health workers working under District Health Officer took out a protest rally against the baton charge, torture, usage of water cannon and arrests of the employees of the health department in Karachi who were protesting for the restoration of risk allowance and acceptance of other demands due to which CMCH remained paralused.

However, Dr. Gulzar Tuinio, CMCH Medical Superintendent during his visit claimed that he managed the working of all the emergencies of the largest tertiary care hospital where patients were provided medical treatment. On that occasion, the leaders of the protesters, Abdul Jabbar Narejo, Ghulam Hussain Langah, Manwar Mangi, Qamaruddin Sheikh, Reshman Langah, Bhag Bhari Morio and others shouted slogans at Jinnah Bagh Chowk.

Speaking on the occasion, they said that the Sindh government should restore the risk allowance and the service structure. They said employees of the health department had boycotted the OPDs in the past and their duties since yesterday in the whole of Sindh to press the government to issue notification, but instead of it, the protesters were baton charged and water cannons were used on them in Karachi which was unjust and highhandedness on the part of the rulers who claim to be the champions of democracy.

They said that this kind of crackdown on peaceful protesting employees had reminded them of the dictatorial era in which the voices of employees raising their hands for their rights were suppressed. They said that the PPP government had been in Sindh for the last 14 years under the slogan of bread, clothes and house, but what they did speaks very highly about their real misdeeds.

They appealed to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other higher officials to take notice of torture on health employees and take action against those involved in the violence besides accepting all demands of the employees Meanwhile, doctors of Chandka Medical College also came out of their college and held a protest outside CMCH Teaching Block, showing solidarity with the agitating paramedics.