THATTA: Hundreds of the employees affiliated with various government health facilities in the district observed a token strike and staged a sit-in here on Monday at the People`s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) headquarters in Makli in protest against what they described as the atrocious and abusive behaviour of the PPHI management, and mismanagement rendering irreparable losses to the health facility.

The protest was attended by paramedics, sweepers, vaccinators, clerks, male and female doctors, ward boys, gardeners, watchmen and others in coordination of members of civil society.

Leading them were Thatta chapter president of the All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) Abdul Hafeez Khushk, general secretary Ghulam Hussain Dayo, provincial junior president Ashraf Khushk and provincial vice-chairman Abdul Karim Bhandh.

Raising slogans against the PPHI administration, holding placards and wearing black armbands, the protesters marched through the Jungshahi Road and the National Highway at Makli. Later, they staged a sit-in in front of the PPHI headquarters.

Addressing the demonstrators, Sindh APCA vice chairman Abdul Karim Bhandh alleged that PPHI district manager Abdul Ghafar Surahyo, and monitoring and evaluation manager Hassan Ali Memon were behind the nefarious designs to achieve their own agendas at the cost of PPHFs failure.

He said those officials had directed not to work and participate in the polio campaign to be commenced under the district health department from 29th of this month in the districts as the department was exclusively responsible for providing polio campaign service in the district.

These officials to get grease their palm had kept the ARV (Anti Rabies Venom) and ASV (Anti Snake Venom) at the far flung BHUs (Basic Health Units) Garho, hardly accessible for the far off population of coastal Talukas Mirpur Sakro and Ghorabari, the speaker said.

Citing an incident, he claimed that recently a snake bite victim Shakeela, wife of Ashraf Panhwer, had been denied ASV and she died on way back to her village.

Citing other examples, Abdul Hafeez Khushk and Ghulam Hussain Dayo in their speeches contended that Abdul Ghaffar Surhayo had recently issued two separate letters DO/TA/ Admin/2014/230 and DO/TA/ Admin/2014/232 on Sept 17, 2014, to the DHO of Thatta, stating that two employees, vaccinator Yaqoob Memon and sweeper Narro, were involved in criminal activities.

He suggested a criminal case against them by the Anti Corruption Establishment.

The speakers mentioned that both the employees were saner and responsible.

The alleged officer had attempted to implicate them on false charges, though the two had remained absent on genuine grounds, they added.