BHUBANESWAR: Disgruntled over not having their demands fulfilled by the state government even after a year, government doctors under the aegis of the Odisha Medical Service Association (OMSA) on Tuesday threatened to halt OPD services and National Health Mission (NHM)-related works for at least an hour a day from December 26.
The association alleged that though a year has passed since they submitted their grievances before Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Health minister Mukesh Mahaling for fulfilment of their demands including key reforms in the state’s healthcare sector, the government has not taken any substantial steps in this regard.
OMSA general secretary Sanjib Kumar Pradhan said their demands include remuneration at par with the central government pay scale with abolition of level-15 as followed for other class-I officers of the Odisha government without any precondition, proportionate cadre restructuring of all grades, incremental incentives for super specialists, specialists, diploma-holding administrators along with postmortem allowance and equal PBI to OMHS and OMES cadres.
OMSA has also demanded implementation of exit policy for doctors who have worked for over three years in Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) and KBK-plus regions as well as tribal sub-plan areas.
It has also called for regular yearly recruitment of doctors and timely promotion as well as revision of Odisha Medicare Act-2008 and inclusion of provisions of non-bailable warrant against offenders attacking doctors, apart from provision of round-the-clock armed security and police outpost inside all healthcare institutions in the state.
The doctors also demanded regularisation of adhoc doctors and inclusion of the adhoc and contractual period in the regular service and health insurance for all healthcare personnel. They further threatened of halting OPD services and NHM-related work for an hour per day from December 26 if their demands were not fulfilled. Association members said they will intensify their protest in the near future and may even go for mass resignation if needed.