Haryana doctors begin fast unto death as talks with govt fail

The standoff between government doctors and the state administration deepened today as leaders of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) began a fast unto death after day-long wait for negotiations yielded no response from the authorities.

HCMSA president Dr Rajesh Khyalia, along with medical officers Dr Labh Singh and Dr Virender, started an indefinite hunger strike outside the office of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) in Sector 6, Panchkula. The strike follows the Association’s indefinite work stoppage over a set of unresolved service-related demands.

Speaking to ‘The Tribune’, Dr Khyalia expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the government. “No one approached us from the government side for talks. We are on a hunger strike. It is a fast unto death. We will not budge till our demands are met,” he said.

The HCMSA is demanding prohibition of direct recruitment of Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) and the implementation of the modified Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme. Although an agreement was reached with the government on December 5 on ending direct SMO recruitment, the Association alleges that the decision has not yet been implemented.

Talks between the two sides on December 5 had collapsed over the modified ACP scheme. The revised ACP proposes grade pay of Rs 6,600 at five years, Rs 8,000 at 10 years, and Rs 9,500 at 15 years. A 2024 assessment by the Finance Department estimated an additional annual burden of Rs 9.75 crore on the state exchequer if implemented. Currently, government doctors receive grade pay of Rs 7,600 after 10 years and Rs 8,700 after 15 years.

Amid the impasse, the state government on Tuesday invoked the Haryana Essential Services Maintenance Act (HESMA), declaring the doctors’ strike illegal for six months. Show-cause notices have also been issued to striking doctors.

Health Minister Arti Singh Rao appealed to the doctors to resume duties, saying all issues were under consideration. She stated that the government had activated inter-departmental coordination and mobilised staff from multiple departments to maintain uninterrupted healthcare services. “The state government has taken note of the current situation and has made all necessary arrangements to prevent any inconvenience to the general public,” she said.

The Minister said 2,543 alternative doctors were deployed across government hospitals on December 9, and 2,531 on December 10, drawn from DMER, AYUSH, ESIC, Ayushman Bharat panel hospitals and the National Health Mission. On December 9 alone, government hospitals handled 69,316 OPD visits, 2,433 admissions, 202 surgeries, 1,498 emergency cases, 320 deliveries and distributed 1,86,024 medicines.