The protest by over 700 daily-wage dengue workers and 75 sanitary patrol workers from the Multan Health Department (MHD) entered its seventh day on Monday, as they continued to demand unpaid salaries and reinstatement following termination.
The workers claim that health department officials tried to recruit the dismissed dengue workers for an ongoing anti-polio campaign, offering monetary incentives. While some, driven by hunger, reluctantly agreed, the majority refused and declared a boycott of the campaign to protest their job termination and wage delays.
Resuming their demonstration outside the CEO Health Multan office after a one-day break, the workers intensified their protest by blocking roads and staging a sit-in. Among them were hundreds of female dengue workers, highlighting the extreme hardships they face.
Protesters condemned the health department’s attempt to involve them in the polio drive with promises of minimal payments, calling it an exploitation of their financial struggles. They pledged to boycott all health campaigns, including polio eradication efforts, until their demands for job restoration and unpaid salaries are met.
“Our children are starving, and many female workers have fallen ill after enduring the bitter cold for seven days,” a protester said.
Appealing to the chief minister of Punjab, protesters urged her to empathize as a woman and a mother and deliver justice.
Determined to continue their sit-in until their grievances are addressed, they called on the provincial government to take swift action to resolve the crisis and relieve their families’ suffering.
