Government imposed Section 144, know why 3000 doctors took to the streets:

Chandigarh: Haryana’s health services have collapsed as over 3,000 government doctors in the state have started a two-day strike from Monday. Doctors allege that the government is continuously ignoring their age-old demands, due to which they have been forced to take this big step. Meanwhile, to control the situation, the administration has imposed prohibitory orders (rules like Section 144) for December 8 and 9 within 200 meters of government hospitals in many districts, under which the gathering of five or more people is banned.

Why are doctors on strike? These are the 3 main demands

The doctors’ anger is based on three major demands, which they say are necessary for their career and respect:

1. Separate cadre of specialist doctors: Doctors demand that a separate cadre be created for specialist doctors, so that the process of their identification and promotion can be improved.
2. Become SMO only through promotion: Doctors say that direct recruitment to the posts of Senior Medical Officer (SMO) should be stopped and these posts should be filled only by promotion of experienced doctors. They allege that through direct recruitment, 95% of doctors retire with only one promotion (from Medical Officer to SMO) in their entire career.
3. ACP Scheme like Centre: Doctors want the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme to be implemented in Haryana like central government hospitals and states like Bihar.[2] Under this scheme, doctors get fixed promotions after 4, 9, 13 and 20 years of service, whereas there is no such system in Haryana.

What does the government say and what are the arrangements?

In view of the strike, the government has imposed prohibitory orders to avoid any untoward situation. The Health Department has claimed that contingency arrangements have been made to keep emergency services running in hospitals so that patients do not face problems. However, on the first day of the strike, OPD services of many hospitals were affected, where patients had to wait for a long time. The Director General of the Health Department says that they are trying to resolve the matter through talks with doctors.

Will there be a solution through talks?

Although the first day of the strike was peaceful at some places like Gurugram’s Civil Hospital and OPD was not much affected, doctors have warned that if the government does not accept their demands, the strike may drag on. He says that the government will somehow manage the work for a day or two, but in case of a long strike, it will be difficult to handle the huge crowd of patients in government hospitals. According to Dr. Rajesh Khayalia, President of Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), talks with the government have been inconclusive so far, especially as no concrete assurance has been received on the demand for the ACP scheme.

The strike has become a major challenge for the state’s healthcare system, directly impacting thousands of patients who depend on government hospitals for treatment. Now it remains to be seen whether any solution is found through talks between the government and doctors or this crisis deepens further.