Haryana Govt invokes ESMA to prevent 3000 doctors from strike, threatens salary cut

Along with this, the Director General of Health Services in Haryana has announced that the salaries of the doctors who participated in the strike will be withheld under the 'No Work, No Pay' policy.

Medical Dialogues recently reported that over 3,000 doctors, represented by the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) Association, began a strike on Monday, demanding a revised assured career progression (ACP) structure and revocation of the direct recruitment of Specialist Medical Officers (SMOs), among other demands. 

Also read- Haryana Govt doctors strike over direct SMO recruitment, specialist doctors refuse to join

The association announced that all healthcare services, including outpatient services, emergency care, post-mortems, labour rooms, and surgical units, will be suspended on December 8 and 9 if their longstanding demands are not addressed. The association also warned that an open-ended strike would commence from December 10 if no resolution is reached.

To prohibit the doctors from further agitation, the Haryana government Chief Secretary issued a notice on December 9 which read, "In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (1) of section 4A of the Haryana Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1974 (40 of 1974), the Governor of Haryana hereby prohibits any strike by Doctors and any other categories of staff working under the Health Department, Haryana, for a period of six months from the date of publication of this order in the Official Gazette."

The order said, "Whereas, the Governor of Haryana is satisfied that to ensure patient care for critically ill and other patients, and to maintain the uninterrupted delivery of essential medical services to the general public, any strike by Doctors or any other category of staff of the Health Department, Haryana, shall gravely affect public health and services essential for the life of the community;"

"And whereas, the Governor of Haryana is further satisfied that, in the public interest, it is necessary to prohibit any strike by Doctors and other categories of staff of the Health Department, Haryana, to safeguard patient care and ensure continuity of essential medical services," the order read. 

Dr Rajesh Khyalia, president of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association, on Monday told PTI that the doctors felt compelled to strike because their demands had not been met. "We are protesting to support two main demands: halting the direct recruitment of senior medical officers and implementing the modified assured career progression scheme," he said.

Meanwhile, the Director General of Health Services in Haryana issued an order suspending the salaries of employees on strike, on the principle of "no work, no pay."

"As per the instructions issued by the government, the 'No Work, No Pay' policy is applicable to the striking employees/officers. Therefore, you are directed not to release the salaries of the doctors who participated in the strike until further orders," the order said.

Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar also issued prohibitory orders under Section 163 of BNSS, within a 200-metre radius of all government health institutions, including the civil hospital, sub-divisional hospitals, polyclinics, community health centres, and primary health centres. The order prohibits the gathering of five or more persons within the restricted perimeter, with violations inviting action.

Commenting on the matter, Haryana Health Minister Aarti Singh Rao said the government had ensured that essential health services remained uninterrupted despite the two-day strike called by HCMSA. She said many doctors volunteered to help maintain services, and NHM as well as Ayushman Bharat doctors were deployed across districts to keep OPD, IPD, and emergency units fully functional.

Rao added that the government had accepted several of the doctors’ demands, and discussions were continuing on the remaining issues. Stressing that the administration was also under pressure to resolve the matter, she expressed hope that the strike would end soon and doctors would return to duty.

Speaking to PTI, Rao said, "As you all know that HCMSA had announced two days strike, the government is considering their demands. During the strike, we did not let any essential services stop. Many doctors came forward to help us... I want to thank them all... Normal people were not impacted. I hope the strike comes to an end in the coming days, and all the doctors come back to their duties."

On the doctors' strike, she told ANI, "We are deploying doctors from many places... We have deployed all our NHM (National Health Mission) doctors. Additionally, we have deployed our Ayushman Bharat doctors... So, today, there is no place where OPD (Outpatient Department), IPD (Inpatient Department), or emergency services are not running... They (doctors) called for a 2-day strike, and the government has agreed to their demands. They have many demands, and we have accepted those we could; the remaining demands are still under discussion... The government is also under considerable pressure to meet the demands... The government will talk to the doctors, and if we can reach a conclusion, this strike will end soon... Our services are running very smoothly. We've set up war rooms in every district. We're ensuring that all our operations run smoothly across every district."

As per The Tribune, the HCMSA stated that while Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Health Minister Arti Singh Rao have agreed to their demand for a modified Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme, bureaucratic resistance is blocking the decision.

The doctors stated that the government has not yet agreed to the modified ACP but it had accepted another major demand that there be no direct recruitment to the post of Senior Medical Officer (SMO). The association said it remains open to further talks despite the scheduled mass casual leave. But if no agreement is reached, it will proceed on an indefinite strike from December 10.

FAIMA extends support 

In a letter to the Haryana Health Minister, Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) had made an urgent appeal for the immediate resolution of HCMS doctors' demands.

"We write this representation with deep concern regarding the ongoing agitation by the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) doctors and the subsequent administrative directives issued in view of the proposed strike dated 8-9 December 2025. FAIMA acknowledges the Government's efforts to ensure uninterrupted emergency and essential healthcare services during this period. However, we must respectfully submit that the situation has arisen not due to reluctance on the part of doctors to serve the public, but due to prolonged and unresolved service-related grievances despite multiple assurances over the years," the associtaion stated in the letter. 

The association stated that the issues pertaining to recruitment policy, blocked promotions, ACP implementation, specialist incentives, and service rule amendments are not new. These long-pending matters have caused severe dissatisfaction, burnout, and frustration among HCMS doctors who form the backbone of Haryana's public healthcare system, said the association. 

"Repeated policy commitments without concrete implementation have deeply eroded morale and trust. While emergency duty arrangements and alternate deployment mechanisms may temporarily manage services, such administrative measures cannot substitute for genuine systemic solutions. Sustainable healthcare delivery is only possible when doctors feel secure, respected, and fairly treated in their professional careers," the letter read. 

Following this, FAIMA urged the government to

1. Initiate immediate, structured, and time-bound negotiations with the HCMS Association.

2. Issue clear notifications on long-promised ACP benefits and stalled promotions.

3. Resolve recruitment and specialist cadre concerns through transparent policy decisions.

4. Prevent further escalation by restoring confidence among government doctors

The association further concluded that, "We strongly believe that timely political and administrative intervention at your level can defuse the situation and prevent further disruption of healthcare services in the state. FAIMA stands fully committed to constructive dialogue and remains availabl for any mediation or coordination required at the national level. We request your kind and urgent intervention in the larger interest of public health medical professionals, and the people of Haryana."

Also read- Over 3,000 Haryana doctors on strike, prohibitory orders imposed