LAHORE: The Grand Health Alliance (GHA), comprising doctors, nurses and paramedics, continued its agitation against the outsourcing of the state-run hospitals and other facilities in the province on Friday, staging a sit-in outside the Punjab Assembly.

The protesters, including young doctors, nurses, paramedics and the lady health workers, shouted slogans to press the government to review its decision.

Many health department employees reached Lahore from various other parts of the province to join the protest on The Mall.

On Friday, some office bearers of the Lahore Bar Association, including senior vice president Mian Shar jil, visited the camp of the protesters at the Charing Cross and announced support for the cause of the government hospitals` protesting employees.

Similarly, former emir of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Liaqat Baloch, also visited the venue and addressed the protesters. He announced that the JI would extend its full support to the protesters.

On the occasion, the GHA office-bearers announced expanding the strike to the OPDs of the public hospitals in five more districts in the next phase.

The protesters warned that they would not accept the government`s outsourcing policy at any cost and continueto agitate till the acceptance of their legitimate demands.

On the other hand, the GHA sit-in on The Mall has been causing traffic issues on the main road of the city for the last many days, forcing motorists to use alternate routestoreachtheir destinations.

The police have barricaded the venue to facilitate the protesters, who have also been spending nights there, to exert pressure on the health authorities for revokingthe decision.