Latest news with #BHUs
Express Tribune
21-03-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
All set for privatisation of 90 BHUs, RHCs
Due to a severe financial and economic crisis and a significant shortage of funds in the province, the Punjab Health Department, after abolishing all 30,000 vacant posts from BS 1 to BS 18, has approved the sale of 90 Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) in the Rawalpindi Division under a cost-saving project. Additionally, a decision has been made to transfer 1,000 BHUs across Punjab to the private sector. These include 971 centres that operate 24 hours a day and 11 that operate for six hours. The government will pay Rs893,000 monthly to manage these centres. In the second phase, starting from July 1, 2025, all permanent employees of BHUs and RHCs will be dismissed from service, while daily wage and contract employees will also be terminated immediately upon transferring to the private sector. Employees at these BHUs and RHCs in Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Attock, and Jehlum have protested against this decision, staging strikes and holding large rallies in protest on Thursday. The affected BHUs include 17 from Attock, 80 from Bahawalnagar, 48 from Bahawalpur, 21 from Bhakkar, 22 from Chakwal, seven from Chiniot, 22 from Dera Ghazi Khan, 28 from Faisalabad, 25 from Gujranwala, 16 from Gujrat, 8 from Hafizabad, 14 from Jehlum, 17 from Jhang, 20 from Kasur, 59 from Khushab, five from Lahore, 24 from Layyah, 29 from Lodhran, 14 from Mandi Bahauddin, 15 from Mianwali, 53 from Multan, 56 from Muzaffargarh, 16 from Nankana Sahib, 18 from Narowal, 31 from Okara, 17 from Pakpattan, 74 from Rahim Yar Khan, 16 from Rajanpur, 20 from Rawalpindi, 16 from Sahiwal, 35 from Sargodha, 26 from Sheikhupura, 19 from Sialkot, 24 from Toba Tek Singh, and 52 from Vehari. Health employees have formed action committees and announced plans for a large-scale protest after Eidul Fitr. Union leaders representing health employees have stated that in the first phase, the government will transfer all BHUs to the private sector and provide financial assistance for three months. After that, the financial aid will be abruptly cut off, leaving employees at the mercy of private owners. This move will result in the termination of 200,000 employees by December 31, 2025. To protest this decision, the union leaders have reached out to the All Pakistan Clerks Association (Punjab) and AGIGA for massive protests after Eid. The decision to privatise the BHUs and RHCs has sparked widespread concern and opposition across the province. Health workers fear that the privatization of these centres will lead to job insecurity, and the termination of thousands of employees will create a ripple effect on healthcare services, leaving many without stable employment or adequate healthcare. With union leaders calling for protests after Eidul Fitr, the situation is expected to escalate, as workers demand the reversal of these decisions and the protection of their jobs. The government's move has ignited debates on the long-term impact on public health infrastructure, as many believe this will further weaken the already strained healthcare system, especially in rural areas.
Express Tribune
15-03-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
BHUs employees protest against privatisation
Just like in the rest of Punjab, the protest against the privatisation policy of the Punjab government continues in Chakwal and Talagang. On the first day of the protest, on Saturday, a large number of Basic Health Units (BHUs) employees gathered in front of the office of the Chakwal Health Department CEO and raised slogans. Later, in the second phase of the protest, they recorded a statement outside the office of the Chakwal Deputy Commissioner. Speaking to media representatives, the employees expressed their frustration, stating that the state is like a mother, but that this mother is trying to take away their livelihood. They claimed that they had worked in these centres for 30 years, places that were once shelters for drug addicts and stray animals. "While Punjab is facing privatisation and our jobs are being taken away, employees in the other three provinces are even receiving advance salaries for Eid," they said. During the protest, female workers were seen crying and pleading with the Chief Minister of Punjab to save them from unemployment. They emphasised that they were not demanding pensions, additional benefits, or salary increments, but only wanted to keep their jobs. They further suggested that if the government wants to establish Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics, it should do so in remote areas where BHU services are unavailable. They pointed out that many villages in Chakwal lack health facilities and the government should set up clinics in those areas to facilitate the public.
Express Tribune
12-03-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Punjab mulls outsourcing more health centres
Authorities have decided to outsource the Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) in all 37 districts of Punjab, including the Rawalpindi district, under the status of Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics (MNHC), retain current regular staff of these centres at other government hospitals, regularise non-regular staff, and terminate the employment of staff working on specific health projects once the projects are completed. A meeting of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all District Health Authorities (DHAs) across the province, chaired by the Secretary of Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Punjab, decided that the outsourcing process for BHUs and RHCs under each DHA would continue. These centres will be outsourced based on upgraded healthcare facilities and designated as MNHCs. The centres that are being revamped will have their regular staff retained, and they will be deployed at other government hospitals upon the recruitment of new staff. The process of regularising the employment of non-regular staff will continue. Moreover, the employment of those hired for specific health projects will be terminated upon the completion of the respective projects. Dr Asif Arbab Niazi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rawalpindi DHA, says that in the first phase, seven BHUs and RHCs in the Rawalpindi district have already been outsourced and designated as MNHCs, while in the second phase, 20 more BHUs will be outsourced and upgraded to the status of MNHCs. Before outsourcing, the building of each BHU and RHC will undergo revamping. After the first and second phases, 27 more centres will be converted into MNHCs, he added. In the third phase, the remaining 71 health centres will undergo revamping, and these, too, will be outsourced and designated as MNHCs. As a result, 98 Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics across the district will provide free and quality healthcare services to the public. The administration managing MNHCs, including the financial and operational systems, will submit their claims for costs to the Punjab government in exchange for providing free healthcare services. Dr Niazi further explained that with the establishment of 98 MNHCs across the district, people will no longer need to visit larger hospitals in the cities for treatment.
