Doctors’ strike paralyses OPD services in Haryana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

Thousands of patients visiting government hospitals across the state faced harassment in view of the strike by members of the Haryana Civil Medical Service (HCMS).

While it was a harrowing time — in view of the strike — for patients coming to the OPDs, emergency services functioned normally.

The main demands of the doctors are implementation of the dynamic assured career progression (ACP) policy on a par with Delhi and Bihar Governments, banning direct recruitment of senior medical officers (SMOs), reduction of bond money for postgraduate courses from Rs 1 crore to Rs 50 lakh and filling of vacant posts of the doctor.

Panipat: Medical services were hit at Panipat and Sonepat government hospitals today. The OPDs were closed between 9 am and 3 pm at the general hospital as the doctors staged a protest at the gate of the emergency ward.

Biram Chand, a TB patient, said he was returning home without treatment. Ishwar of Burshyam village, who reached Panipat General Hospital in dense fog, also returned empty handed.

Rinku Sangwan, district president of the HCMS Association, Panipat, said we were forced to sit on dharna as the state government had not fulfilled our demands even after the passage of two years after assurance.

Kurukshetra: District president of the HCMS Pradeep Nager said that the doctors didn’t attend their OPDs today. “We are expecting that our demands will be accepted soon,” he asserted.

Ambala: The strike evoked little response in Ambala as doctors in OPDs were seen attending to patients. District president of the association Mukesh said the association had given a call for strike but doctors attended their OPDs in Ambala district. There was no strike in the district.

Civil Surgeon Kuldeep Singh said: “OPD services were not affected in Ambala district. The doctors are satisfied with the efforts being made by the Health Minister regarding the demands of the association.”

Rohtak: Patients, who did not know about the doctors’ strike, were inconvenienced at the local Civil Hospital and other government health facilities in the district. Vishwajit Rathi, president of the district unit of the HCMS Association, said they had been compelled to strike work as the state authorities were paying no heed to their concerns.

Faridabad: Patients at the OPD of the BK Civil Hospital here were attended to by the Residents and PG students of the local ESIC Medical College and Hospital. Around 2,200 patients report at the OPD daily in the hospital here.

Describing the strike as a success, a spokesperson of the HCMS Association said the members had to resort to strike to make the government realise the delay in accepting their demands that had been agreed to in principle.

Gurugram: At the Civil Hospital here, many patients, who were unaware of the strike, came from far-off places and were turned away. Some could be seen pleading or fighting with hospital staff to meet the doctor.

Yamunanagar: The Principal Medical Officer of the Civil Hospital along with some doctors under the National Health Mission (NHM) attended to the patients in the OPDs.

Meanwhile, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij claimed that only 26.86 per cent doctors participated in the strike today. He said there were a total of 3,466 posts of Medical Officers and Senior Medical Officers. Out of them, only 931 doctors were on strike today. Ambala had zero doctors on strike, Bhiwani 44, Charkhi Dadri 25, Fatehabad 17, Faridabad 20, Gurugram 90, Hisar 77, Jind 37, Jhajjar 70, Kaithal 29, Kurukshetra 8, Karnal 59, Mahendragarh 56, Mewat 23, Palwal 76, Panchkula 77, Panipat 22, Rewari 85, Rohtak 44, Sonepat 37, Sirsa 10, and Yamunanagar 25 doctors.

Strike illegitimate: health minister Vij

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said the strike was illegitimate as the main demand of the doctors for a separate specialist cadre had already been accepted. They had been told that further discussions could be held on other issues. “Only 26 per cent doctors went on strike today,” he claimed.

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