BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Tuesday invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against peripheral cadre doctors after they continued to halt OPD services for two hours everyday to protest the apathetic attitude of the government in fulfilling their demands.
The ESMA prohibits strikes in certain jobs and violations of it can lead to imprisonment and penalties. The Act empowers the government to arrest the violator without a warrant.
“The state government do hereby prohibit strikes in the form of cessation of work by the doctors, nursing officers, pharmacy officers, other paramedics, technicians, Class-III and Class-IV employees, including contractual employees in services/engagements connected with maintenance of medical services in the government hospitals and dispensaries in the state,” read the Home department order.
The state government has made it clear that the order will remain in force for a period of six months with effect from the date of issue. “In the interest of the public, it is necessary to prohibit strikes by doctors so that healthcare delivery in the state is not disrupted,” the order added. Health services were affected for two hours for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as the doctors went on strike from 9 am to 11 am. The indoor activities and emergency cases were, however, unaffected as promised by the agitating doctors.
OMSA president Dr Kishore Misra said the government is applying a pressure tactic and threatening doctors by invoking ESMA instead of looking into the genuine demands. “We will continue to do so and decide our future course of action soon,” he said.
Although the government has formed a panel to look into the demands, OMSA alleged, no discussion with the agitating doctors has been initiated yet. The government doctors have been demanding remuneration on 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.
They have also demanded proportionate cadre restructuring of all grades, incremental incentives for super specialists, specialists, diploma-holding administrators along with postmortem allowance and equal benefits to OMHS and OMES cadres, among others.