KARACHI: The future of more than 500 employees of Sindh Government Children Hospital has become uncertain as their employment contracts under the Poverty Eradication Initiative (PEI), which has been managing the hospital under a public-private partnership, expire on September 30, 2026.
The employees, many of whom have reportedly been serving at the hospital for around a decade, have appealed to the Sindh government and other relevant authorities to take immediate steps to protect their jobs and clear their outstanding dues.
The hospital administration, through an office order dated September 28, informed employees that their current employment contracts were scheduled to end on September 30, 2026.
According to the office order, any extension of the employment contracts is entirely subject to official directives and policy decisions of the government. The administration stated that if the government approves an extension, employees will be informed accordingly and promptly.
The administration also announced that salaries for September 2026 would be released on time according to the applicable schedule. However, any other outstanding dues or liabilities would be cleared once the government allocates and releases the required funds to the organisation.
Employees said the notice had created serious uncertainty among more than 500 staff members who have been working at the hospital under the PEI arrangement. They said they had not received clear information about their employment status after the expiry of their contracts.
The employees further claimed that salaries of hospital staff had remained pending for several months, adding to the financial difficulties and uncertainty already being faced by workers and their families.
They appealed to the Sindh government to make an immediate and clear decision regarding continuation of their employment, payment of outstanding dues and the future administrative arrangement of the hospital.
The employees urged the provincial government and senior authorities to consider the matter on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with the requirements of fairness and justice, saying hundreds of families were directly dependent on these jobs.
They also called upon the relevant authorities to take immediate notice of the situation and ensure that employees who have served the institution for years are not left without clarity regarding their employment and financial rights.
