Hundreds of lady health workers and supervisors from Badin district today expressed their strong opposition to the government’s decision to transfer basic health centers to the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI). Led by the All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union, the protest took place in front of Badin Press Club.
The protesters, led by union leaders Haleema Leghari Zulqarnain, Khalida Jamali, and Rukhsana Jamali, were holding banners and placards, and were enthusiastically demanding job security and protection of their permanent status. They stated that this move undermines their constitutional and job rights.
These lady health workers have played a crucial role for decades in providing basic medical services in remote and insecure areas of Sindh, including maternal and child health, immunization campaigns, and responding to emergencies like COVID-19. They claim that the Lady Health Workers program was a visionary initiative of Ms. Benazir Bhutto, and transitioning to a contract-based organization is a threat to their job security and future.
The government has planned to implement an agreement with PPHI Sindh, effective from July 1, 2026, to gradually transfer all remaining basic health facilities, including health centers and dispensaries, to PPHI. Although authorities claim that this step is to improve healthcare services, workers see it as a direct threat to their employment and status.
The protesters issued a stern warning to the government, announcing that if their demands are not met, they intend to stage a major sit-in in front of Bilawal House in Karachi. They reiterated that the government and health authorities would be responsible for any administrative or medical crisis resulting from this outcome.
Concluding their protest, the lady health workers reaffirmed their commitment to continue their struggle through peaceful and democratic means, pledging to safeguard their jobs and constitutional rights at all costs.