OPD services hit at govt hospitals as medicos observe two-hour strike

The strike, called by the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), which has a representation of around 2,500 doctors in the state, was to address their long-pending demands.

Outpatient departments at government hospitals across the state were closed for two hours on Friday — between 8am and 10 am — as doctors went on a pen-down strike to demand additional increments and specialist allowance promised to them by the state government.

At the Civil Hospital in Gurugram’s Sector 10, around 60 medical officers and specialists held a strike at 8am. (HT Photo/ Sourced)

The strike, called by the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), which has a representation of around 2,500 doctors in the state, was to address their long-pending demands of additional increments to specialist doctors and assured career progression (ACP) at par with other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi, said members of the body. According to Dr Jasbir Singh Panwar, state president of the HCMSA, the state government had agreed to the demands during a meeting chaired by the chief minister in July this year. “The association has been rallying for this for almost a year. Despite promises by the government, no progress has been made yet,” he said.

At the Civil Hospital in Sector 10 in Gurugram, around 60 medical officers and specialists held a strike at 8am. According to officials, the OPD was closed for two hours although the casualty and emergency department functioned normally. “Patients who came to the hospital got their registrations done but they had to wait as no doctor attended to them. However, doctors extended the OPD timings by an hour to 3pm to manage the patient inflow,” said Dr MP Singh, vice-president of the association.

Patients at the hospital said they had to wait for two hours to avail OPD services. Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Gurgaon village, said, “My son needed to get checked for high fever but we had to wait for around an hour and a half after we reached the hospital at 9am. There was a huge crowd already waiting.”

Pointing at the shortage of doctors in Haryana, officials said they are overburdened as a result of which the quality of health care is suffering. They added that their pay structure is less than that of government doctors in other states. In a letter to the state government earlier this week, doctors reiterated their demand of additional increment as per the sixth CPC (Central Pay Commission) for degree-holder specialists and fourth CPC for diploma-holder specialists.

Officials of the state government said the demands raised by doctors would soon be met. “The chief minister gave them an assurance and budgets are being finalised for these increments. The file is in the process of being approved,” said Dr SB Kamboj, additional director-general of health services, Haryana.