Doctors’ strike enters Day 4, ESMA fails to break deadlock in Karnal

The strike by government doctors under the banner of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) entered its fourth day on Thursday, even as the state government invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on Tuesday in an attempt to restore normal healthcare operations.

Despite the statewide impact, the situation in Karnal appeared comparatively stable. Health authorities managed to keep outpatient departments (OPDs) functional across District Civil Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), and Primary Health Centres (PHCs), though patient footfall was lower than usual. Crucial services such as ultrasound, CT scan reporting, and surgeries remained severely affected, causing growing concern among the patients. Medico-legal cases from various field institutions are being referred to District Civil Hospital, placing additional strain on already limited staff and inconveniencing the general public.

Civil Surgeon Karnal, Dr Poonam Chaudhary, claimed that despite the strike, essential health services in the district remained steady. Out of 151 government doctors, 102 participated in the strike. She said the administration ensured continuity by deploying 68 doctors from the KCGMC, 12 consultants, 16 newly recruited doctors, 46 NHM doctors, 30 dental surgeons, 86 Community Health Officers (CHOs), 21 Ayush practitioners. Besides, 13 Ayushman empanelled doctors volunteered their services. “We have conducted six normal deliveries, one C-section and five other surgeries. Medico-legal work is being carried out by the consultants at the CHC level, while postmortems are being performed by the doctors from the KCGMC,” she said. For ultrasound, they have already made arrangements after coordinating with the doctors of the KCGMC.

A similar situation prevailed in Kaithal. Civil Surgeon Dr Renu Chawla said out of 69 Medical Officers and Senior Medical Officers, 33 were on strike. She said several doctors had resumed duty and appealed to others to return in the interest of patient care. “We have arranged ultrasound services through an Ayushman empanelled radiologist at government rates, ensuring patients do not have to pay anything,” she said.

The HCMSA reiterated that the doctors will not return to duty until the government fulfils their key demands—stopping the direct recruitment of Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) and implementing the modified Assured Career Progression (ACP) structure. The doctors acknowledged that the government had accepted their demand to halt SMO recruitment, but with no decision taken on the modified ACP structure, they extended their two-day strike into an indefinite one.

District HCMSA president of Karnal, Dr Sanjay Verma, said, “We will not resume duty till the fulfilment of our genuine demands.”