Himachal doctors plan to scale up protest, no elective surgery till noon from today

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 8

The Himachal Medical Officers Association (HMOA) has decided to scale up their protest as the deadlock between them and the government continues. Apart from continuing their pen-down strike from morning till noon, the association has decided to withhold all elective surgeries till noon from tomorrow.

Patients bear the brunt

• Due to the morning to noon pen-down strike for the last three weeks, patients have faced much inconvenience. If the deadlock persists, patients would continue to suffer
• Over 2,600 doctors have been demanding the restoration of non-practising allowance for new appointees and career assured progression scheme
• Timely promotions and amendment to the postgraduate policy are the other important demands of the protesting doctors in the state

No positive response from govt

We have been protesting for over 50 days for our genuine demands. Yet, we haven’t received a positive response from the government. So, our central committee has decided to stop elective surgeries till noon from Saturday. Dr Vikas Thakur, Secretary, HMOA

The doctors had gone on a mass casual leave on Thursday in all government health facilities, except in medical colleges, to put pressure on the government to accept their demands, but the government hasn’t approached the doctors yet to break the deadlock.

“We have been protesting for over 50 days for our genuine demands. Yet, we haven’t received a positive response from the government. So, our central committee has decided to stop elective surgeries till noon from tomorrow,” said Dr. Vikas Thakur, Secretary, HMOA.

The doctors had pinned hopes for some resolution on yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, but the issue wasn’t discussed. Upset over the fact that their matter was not listed for the Cabinet meeting, the association says that the doctors will go on a mass casual leave of two days in future if their demands are not met.

The association has also accused the bureaucracy of trying to crush the protest through unfair means. “We condemn the tactics being used by officers to break our protest. They are doing it to hide their own failures,” the association said in a press release today.

Over 2,600 doctors in health facilities, from primary health centres to district hospitals, have been on a pen-down strike from morning till noon for three weeks now. They have been demanding the restoration of NPA for new appointees and career assured progression scheme. Timely promotions and amendment in the postgraduate policy are their other important demands.

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