Haryana: OPD services hit as govt doctors go on mass leave, threaten strike from January 14
●Creating a specialist cadre for doctors, stopping the direct recruitment of senior medical officers (SMOs) and amending the post-graduate policy are the three key demands of the doctors.
Health services in all government hospitals across Haryana have been hit as doctors across the state went on mass leave Tuesday demanding a resolution to issues raised by them regarding the medical policy.
Creating a specialist cadre for doctors, stopping the direct recruitment of senior medical officers (SMOs) and amending the post-graduate policy are the three key demands of the doctors.
While emergency services continue to function, outpatient departments (OPDs) and the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination drive across all 22 districts are affected.
The Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) said that the doctors would go on an indefinite strike from Friday (January 14) if the issues are not resolved. All medical services — including emergency, Covid and postmortem — will be stopped in that case, the HCMSA said. HCMSA vice-president Dr MP Singh said: “Today, we have halted OPD services. From January 14, there will be a total shutdown of services if our demands are not met.”
Despite several rounds of meetings with the state government including the health minister Anil Vij over the past few months, the standoff continues.
“Doctors will provide emergency services as per their roster only in the health institutes already providing causality services in routine. If needed, extra volunteers doctors may be deputed,” the HCMSA said.