KARACHI: In a landmark development, Sindh cabinet on Wednesday approved a 0.5 percent job quota for transgender persons in all government departments.
The decision was made in a meeting of the provincial cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah who said that he “wants to bring the transgender community into the mainstream” and turn them into “productive citizens” of the country.
Shah also directed transgender persons to ensure that they have all relevant documents before applying for jobs. He also urged them to “focus on education”.
According to a publication, over 41,000 positions are vacant in different government departments across the province, out of which 206 will be given to transpersons.
It merits a mention here that, earlier this year, the Sindh government had reserved a job quota of 0.5pc for transgender persons in the police department only.
“The same quota will now be reserved for members of the transgender community in every government department,” Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said in a presser following the meeting.
The same meeting approved the rules of the Sindh Injured Persons Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Act, 2019, under which hospitals are bound to provide immediate treatment to any injured person without “complying with medico-legal formalities”.
The law makes it compulsory for hospitals, both private and government, to provide treatment to any injured person “without any delay, on a priority basis, without complying with medico-legal formalities or demanding payment prior to the administering of compulsory medical treatment”.
According to the new law, police will not be allowed to “interrupt or interfere” until the person is deemed out of danger. Doctors will also not be bound to obtain the consent of relatives while providing compulsory treatment.
