Following a decline in COVID-19 cases in the country, the Sindh government has decided to lay off doctors and paramedical staff hired temporarily during the peak of the pandemic.
Over 1,200 doctors and nursing staff was hired on a contractual basis to handle emergency cases during the second wave of coronavirus last year.
According to the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) data, the COVID-19 positivity rate dropped to 0.6 percent on Monday, with just 216 cases countrywide out of 33,435 tests taken.
However, the provincial government has decided against renewing their contracts that expire later this month due to a considerable decline in the COVID-19 cases across the country, including Sindh.
According to Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) data, more than 200 doctors have died of COVID-19 across the country after contracting the virus in the line of duty and 64 of them belonged to Sindh.
Doctors and paramedics hired on a makeshift basis have been demanding regularization. In a press conference last year, the doctors had also complained about a delay in the payment of salaries.
