Govt doctors shut OPDs for two hours, demand halt to direct hiring of SMOs

Government doctors across the state today observed a two-hour pen-down strike, shutting OPD services from 9 am to 11 am to push for their long-pending demands. The agitation, held on the call of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), saw participation from hundreds of doctors across districts. Emergency and labour room services, however, functioned normally.

The protesting doctors reiterated their two main demands — an immediate halt to the direct recruitment of Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) and issuance of the notification for the modified Assured Career Progression (ACP) structure, which they say has been approved by the Chief Minister but is still pending with the Finance Department. The strike was earlier scheduled for Tuesday but was deferred due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kurukshetra.

In many districts, patients faced inconvenience. Despite administrative claims of deploying consultants and NHM doctors to manage OPDs, several hospitals reported delays even in issuing OPD slips.

“I came to know about the strike after reaching here in hospital. The doctors should have informed about their strike earlier. Now, we have no option but to wait,” said Sandeep Kumar, a patient in Karnal.

Dr Deepak Goyal, state treasurer of HCMSA, said the agitation would continue until the demands are met. “The government’s move to directly recruit SMOs is unacceptable. The existing doctors should be promoted instead of direct recruitment of SMOs,” he said.

HCMSA Karnal district president Dr Sanjay Verma highlighted pay-scale disparities, stating that even after the CM’s announcement, the ACP notification remains stuck. “We want pay scale upgrade from Rs 8,700 to Rs 9,500, which will take us on par with doctors in medical colleges,” he added.

The association has scheduled a state body meeting on November 30 to decide the next phase of protests.

In Hisar, OPD services were affected as MOs staged a protest led by Dr Anish Chahal, general secretary, HCMSA Hisar. State president Dr Rajesh Khaliya said repeated requests to the government had gone unnoticed. “The protest will continue until the government changes its policy,” he warned. Dr Ajit Lathar noted that several meetings with the Health Minister had yielded only assurances.

Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh Civil Hospitals witnessed long queues as OPDs remained suspended. SMO Dr Ajay Garg confirmed the complete participation of doctors in the strike but said emergency and labour rooms were functional.

Gurugram and Faridabad reported minimal impact as most doctors did not join the strike. In contrast, Panipat, Sirsa, Sonepat, Rohtak and Yamunanagar saw significant disruptions, with doctors later working beyond OPD hours to clear the backlog. HCMSA units in these districts said their next steps would follow directions from the state body.