Hospitals back to normal after doctors end strike

Government-run hospitals across the state resumed normal functioning on Friday after four days of disruption caused by the strike launched by doctors of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA). The breakthrough came late on Thursday night when Health Minister Arti Singh Rao and HCMSA representatives reached an agreement following several rounds of discussions.

The main problem of the modified Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme was resolved after doctors agreed to opt for the Ayushman incentive instead. It was also decided any amendments to service rules — including the proposal to discontinue direct recruitment of Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) — would be considered only after reviewing policies adopted in other states.

With the strike formally withdrawn, OPDs, emergency services, surgeries, CT scans, ultrasound reporting and medico-legal work, among other services, resumed smoothly across the state. Patients who had faced difficulties over the past four days expressed relief as routine medical operations restarted.

“We have joined duty and all services are running as usual,” said Dr Sanjay Verma, district president of the HCMSA, confirming that members across districts had returned to work.

Doctors had begun their strike on Monday to press for two primary demands — stopping the direct recruitment of SMOs and implementing the modified ACP structure. After negotiations failed on Tuesday, the association announced the protest would continue indefinitely. Although health authorities managed to keep OPDs and emergency services functioning by deploying doctors from other units and administrative cadres, key services such as radiology and elective surgeries were severely affected during the agitation.

Civil Surgeon Dr Poonam Chaudhary welcomed the restoration of services. “Our priority is patient care, and we are happy that normalcy has been restored. All departments are functioning at full capacity, and patients who were waiting for investigations and procedures are now being attended to without delay,” she said.