RAIPUR: Public healthcare services across Chhattisgarh may face major disruptions as the Junior Doctors Association(JDA) announced a phased statewide agitation over an unresolved 17-point charter of demands.
Around 5,000 doctors—including resident doctors, interns, and bonded practitioners stationed at Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs), and tertiary healthcare facilities—are expected to participate.
The protest has garnered broad support from other medical bodies, including the Chhattisgarh In-Service Doctors Association and the Chhattisgarh Doctors Federation.
The first phase of the protest will begin on September 21 (Monday). During this phase, doctors will boycott outpatient department (OPD) services, routine indoor patient department (IPD) duties, elective surgeries, and all other non-emergency procedures.
The Association warned that if the state government fails to take constructive steps toward resolving their issues, the second phase will commence on September 23, 2026, expanding the scope of the service boycott. However, the JDA stated that emergency medical duties and patient safety considerations will be reviewed dynamically to prevent critical harm to urgent cases.
According to the JDA, representatives have engaged in continuous correspondence, memorandums, and appeals with the state government for over six months. The Association had earlier served a 15-day ultimatum to address the 17-point charter. Since no concrete action was taken within the deadline, the Association termed the administration's posture as dismissive, describing the strike as a measure of last resort.
The JDA clarified that the stir is not directed against any specific official, medical college, or administrative body. Instead, it seeks policy-level parity in service conditions, fair professional rights, and long-term career security for medical practitioners.
The Association has urged the state government to immediately convene a high-level meeting to hammer out a concrete roadmap addressing their 17 demands. The JDA affirmed that it remains open to prioritising dialogue over confrontation if the administration comes forward with actionable, time-bound solutions.
With OPD and elective care slated to halt early next week, public hospitals and peripheral health centres across Chhattisgarh brace for heavy patient backlogs unless the state administration intervenes to break the deadlock.