Haryana government doctors hold two-hour strike to push for demands, pause OPD services

CHandigarh, regime doctors in Haryana on th observed a two-hour pen-down walk out and kept the OPD services unsympathetic o'er non-fulfilment of their demands.These include no direct recruitment of senior medical officers and implementation of the career progression scheme.The strike observed between 9 am and 11 am followed a call given by the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association, a body representing government doctors in the state.It had said the OPD services, except emergency and labour room and operations, would remain suspended.At several places, the OPD services were impacted.Dr Rajesh Khyalia, president, HCMS Association, said, "For a long time, we have been demanding that there should be no direct recruitment of SMOs. A few years ago, Minister Anil Vij, who held the health department, had ordered that there be no direct recruitment of the SMOs, and last year, too, the government had agreed on this. But now, it is again planning the direct recruitment."The association is also demanding the implementation of the assured progression scheme.“Even after being approved by the chief minister, the scheme is stuck at the bureaucratic level and has not been implemented or notified," he added.The doctors from a number of government health institutions observed the strike across the state, Khyalia said.He said the further course of action pertaining to their demands would be charted soon.The association said the direct recruitment of SMOs would block the growth of hundreds of medical officers awaiting promotion to the post after completing 20 years of service, adding that it would lead to "severe stagnation in the cadre"."This means that the majority of the doctors are limited to only one promotion, and it will lead to many taking a voluntary retirement from service due to the lack of promotional avenues," Khyalia said."In the entire country, there is no provision anywhere for direct entry at the SMO level," he added.Meanwhile, an official statement said the Haryana government's health department had made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth services amid the pen-down strike.Instructions had been given to the civil surgeons and principal medical officers to keep the OPDs and all emergency services running so that patients do not face inconvenience.The government had directed them that the services of all consultants and contract medical officers should also be utilised.The statement said that approximately 400 doctors working under the national healthcare initiative had also been deployed for the OPD services.This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.