Hundreds of janitorial workers keep public health facilities clean across Punjab, but janitorial workers salaries have been withheld for four consecutive months, leaving families struggling to buy basic food and medicine. The crisis impacts sanitation staff deployed at several Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospitals across the Rawalpindi and Jhelum districts.

Financial strain has intensified for these low-income employees as inflation drives up the cost of daily essentials. Many workers report borrowing money from local shopkeepers just to afford cooking oil and flour while hospital managements and contractors point fingers at administrative delays.

Affected Hospitals Across Rawalpindi and Jhelum

The salary freeze is not limited to a single facility but spans multiple districts in northern Punjab. According to reports from the region, sanitation staff at THQ hospitals in Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedan, Kahuta, and Taxila within the Rawalpindi district have received no compensation for four months.

The same financial squeeze affects workers in the Jhelum district, where janitorial staff at THQ hospitals in Sohawa, Dina, and Pind Dadan Khan are enduring identical conditions. These frontline workers handle hazardous medical waste and maintain ward hygiene daily without personal protective gear or timely pay.

Impact on Daily Survival

For workers earning minimum wage, a four-month gap in income spells total financial ruin. Landlords are demanding overdue rent, utility bills are piling up with disconnection warnings, and children are being pulled out of local schools because uniform and fee payments cannot be met.

  • No pay for four months across seven tehsil headquarters
  • Workers forced into debt to buy household rations
  • Basic medical emergencies becoming impossible to fund

District health authorities in Rawalpindi and Jhelum have yet to release a definitive payment schedule or clarify whether the delay stems from stalled contractor funds or provincial treasury bottlenecks.

What You Should Do

If you are a affected worker or witness labor rights violations at your local hospital, you can lodge a formal complaint with the Punjab Workers Welfare Board or the Provincial Ombudsman (Mohtasib) Punjab via their helpline at 1050. Document your duty rosters and contractor agreements to support wage claims.

What to Watch Next

Watch for intervention from the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department as pressure mounts from local labor unions. District administrations must soon audit the outsourcing contractors responsible for these payments to clear the backlog before protests escalate outside hospital gates.