BHUBANESWAR: Government doctors in the peripheral cadre on Monday intensified their protest disrupting outpatient department (OPD) services for at least two hours in public health establishments across the state.
The agitating doctors under Odisha Medical Service Association (OMSA) halted OPD service in government hospitals from 9 am to 11 am demanding fulfilment of their 10-point charter of demands including salaries on par with central pay structure.
OMSA representatives said thousands of doctors across district headquarters hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres took part in the protest.
The doctors’ strike also affected National Health Mission (NHM)-related works for an extended period on the day. However, emergency care, inpatient service and surgeries continued during the period to ensure critical health services.
The OMSA members were on protest halting OPD service and NHM work for at least an hour since December 26. However, they said they were forced to extend the shutdown period to two hours as the government was yet to consider their demands.
The doctors’ association has demanded remuneration on par with the central government pay scale with abolition of level-15 as followed for other class-I officers of Odisha government without any precondition. Their demand also includes 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.
They have also demanded implementation of exit policy for doctors who have worked for over three years in Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) and KBK plus region as well as tribal sub-plan areas.
Health minister Mukesh Mahaling appealed the doctors to call off their protest and assured that steps are being taken to look into their grievances. “Our government has already formed a committee to look into their grievances and has already agreed to two of their demands,” the minister told the mediapersons.
