LAHORE: The health department issued three-year contracts to 625 out of the 2,800 ad hoc nurses of Punjab under an agreement signed with them late on Saturday.

Out of these, 68 were distributed among nurses of Mayo Hospital at a ceremony and 67 to those of Lahore General Hospital; 490 letters were handed over to the Mayo Hospital medical superintendent for distribution among nurses who would rejoin soon.

Dozens of nurses ended their protest shortly after they entered an agreement with the government at around 11:30pm on Saturday. As per the deal, the government would award three-year contracts to the 2,800 ad hoc nurses who would be regularised after this period without going through the Punjab Public Service Commission.

However, a group of protesting nurses called it a `so-called agreement` and continued its protest on The Mall. They refused to leave untilthe acceptance of their demand of regularisation. They alleged the government had split the nurses by offering the contracts, calling it a `temporary relief` rather than a permanent solution to their legitimate demand. The group shouted slogans against the government and senior officials of the health department.

Justifying her protesting colleagues` claim, a nurse, Amna, told Dawn the education department had regularised ad hoc teachers according to rules and regulations, which was evidence enough for the health department to adopt the same pattern.

When contacted, Health Secretary Babar Hayat Tarar rejected the claim saying there was no such precedent in the education department.

`We had asked the protesting nurses to present a notification or official documents of the education department but they failed to do so, the secretary said.

To a question, he said conversion of ad hoc status into regularisation would be a clear violation of rulesand regulations. He called the protesting nurses `a headless mob` saying a group of 20 nurses held negotiations with the government on Saturday night representing all of them. The group had assured the government officials they had full mandate to take a decision on behalf of the protesters.

After the meeting at the Chief Minister Secretariat, both sides agreed on three-year contracts, he said, adding a number of nurses ended their protest.

`However, it was an utter shock for the government officials that a group of ad hoc nurses at 1:30am rejected the agreement and announced to continue their protest till regularisation of their services, Tarar said.

Another ad hoc nurse Shazia told this reporter the government representatives had split the nurses by threatening their colleagues.

`Our protesting colleagues were approached through principals of nursing schools and teaching hospitals, and medical superintendents of hospitals,` she said, adding some ofher colleagues succumbed to the pressure of officials of medical institutions and dispersed after the `socalled agreement` The agreement, a copy of which was available to Dawn, read: `The ad hoc charge nurses working in the health department will be given three-year contract appointment and they will be regularised after expiry of this contract.

It further stated 1,500 posts of head nurses will be created through adjustment from within the existing sanctioned strength of the cadre.

A few days ago, another group of nurses had ended its protest after the government accepted its demands and issued notifications.

The notifications were related to the regularisation of contract jobs, creation of new positions, promotions to next grades and issuance of areas under decided allowances.

This group was led by Young Nurses Association Punjab President Rozeena Manzoor, who had given a call of strike and later announced to end the agitation.