Day 2 of doctors’ strike draws mixed response across state

The strike called by government doctors affiliated with the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) entered its second day on Tuesday, significantly disrupting several healthcare services across the state.

Although the health department attempted to manage operations, critical services such as ultrasound, CT scan reporting and surgeries were severely affected. The shortage of radiologists further compounded patient distress.

Karnal Civil Surgeon Dr Poonam Chaudhary, however, claimed that health services remained stable.

Meanwhile, notices have been issued to 20 newly recruited doctors for joining the strike despite being on probation, stating that their participation violates service rules. A similar scenario was observed in Kaithal district.

While authorities claimed smooth functioning, HCMSA leaders dismissed the arrangements as an “eyewash,” insisting that services, including C-sections, elective surgeries, ultrasounds and CT scan reporting, have been severely disrupted.

Surgeries hit by doctors’ strike at Narnaul

The HCMS Association claimed that post-graduation students from medical colleges were deployed to treat patients at government hospitals, calling the arrangement merely an eyewash. Meanwhile, the family of a minor girl killed in a road accident had to take her body from Mahendragarh to Narnaul for a post-mortem examination due to the ongoing strike.

Patients scheduled for both emergency and routine surgeries faced significant inconvenience, as surgeries could not be conducted during the strike.

“As many as 27 of the 43 HCMS doctors at Narnaul Civil Hospital remained on leave today. This led to a drastic fall in OPD footfall,” said Dr Vivek Sharma, president of the district unit of HCMSA.

On the other hand, the district administration and local health authorities maintained that the strike had minimal impact.

No disruption in Rewari: Civil Surgeon

Rewari Civil Surgeon Dr Narender Dahiya stated that the healthcare services ran smoothly in the district, with doctors from a medical college and non-striking HCMS doctors being deployed at the government hospitals in the district.

Patients suffer in Sirsa

Key healthcare services across the district were disrupted due to the strike. Officials said 126 government doctors remained off duty, forcing hospitals to rely on 34 deployed replacements- including 20 NHM doctors, five consultants and 11 medical officers from Agroha Medical College.

Routine checkups continued, but serious patients were not admitted. Medico-legal reports for assault victims were also not issued; such patients were sent directly to Agroha.

The dialysis centre faced major disruptions due to construction work and a shortage of RO water.

Hospital footfall dropped sharply due to the strike — from 943 patients on Monday to 535 on Tuesday. The ultrasound department was completely shut, leaving pregnant women without services.

Disability assessments may also be affected, as the medical board scheduled for Wednesday was not formed due to the strike.