Nursing staff of government hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has set a two-week deadline for acceptance of their demands, including provision of service structure and increase in allowances, and warned to start protest demonstrations across the province if delaying tactics were used by the government.

Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar Pres Club on Tuesday, All Districts Nurses Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, leader Sahib Zaman said that nurses and paramedical employees were demanding service structure for past five years, but despite commitment the government had failed to ensure its implementation.

He said that only 59 of 3,800 nursing staff in the province had been promoted during past 32 years, as the government failed to announce any plan for their wellbeing.

“The delay in promotions has caused serious unrest among the health workers,” he said.

Accompanied by other office-bearers, including Farhad Jamil from Peshawar, Momin Khan from Batkhela, Saadat Awan from D.I. Khan and Baharuddin from Swat, Mr Zaman said that the health department had promoted 59 nurses from grade-16 to grade-17 and only five to grade-18. He said that about 18 seats of senior nurses were still vacant at different hospitals, but no promotion was made to fill these positions.

He said that allowances given to them did not meet their needs. He said that their house rent of Rs1,800 did not match with ratio of rent of residential quarters, especially in cities.

Mr Zaman said that a paltry scholarship of Rs1,100 was given to trainee nurses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa compared to Rs3,565 being paid in Punjab.  “We have taken up the issue with the finance department, but the authorities declined to raise the amount,” he said.