Punjab doctors go on strike, OPD services hit

Patiala: Punjab Government doctors suspended outpatient department (OPD) services across the state for three days starting from Monday to protest demanding reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme and adequate security measures for healthcare workers.

The protest, organized by the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, will continue until September 11 at district and sub-divisional hospitals, as well as community health centres. 

Also Read:PCMSA Strike: Govt doctors give pamphlets detailing demands to OPD patients

However, emergency services continued.

President of PCMS Association (Patiala unit) Dr Sumeet Singh said the reinstatement of the assured career progression scheme (ACP) is one of the main demands of the protesting doctors.

Unlike other departments, doctors do not have many avenues of promotion through the course of their career, which was compensated through the annual career progression scheme. But it was halted in 2021, Singh said.

The ACP scheme provides financial benefits and higher pay scales to government employees.

The association is also demanding adequate safety measures for healthcare professionals at hospitals and recruitment of more medical officers.

Another protesting doctor in Patiala insisted upon the need for tightening of security in the government health facilities across the state.

The doctors’ association pointed out a Sunday night incident in which a woman doctor, who was eight-month pregnant, was manhandled by two unidentified men at the Community Health Centre at Dhakoli in Mohali and fled with syringes and injections, news agency PTI reported.

The police have registered a case in this regard.

Meanwhile, patients, who came for a check-up at Mata Kaushalya Hospital in Patiala faced inconvenience due to the suspended OPD services.

Sukhdev Singh, who came to the hospital from Devigarh, said he came to know about the strike after reaching there. He said he had come for an eye check-up.

In Hoshiarpur, local resident Harpreet Singh had brought his father Sukhwinder Singh to a government hospital for treatment of his swollen leg.

Unaware of the doctors’ strike, Harpreet said he found himself helpless. Due to financial constraints, he could not afford private medical treatment and had no choice but to wait for the strike to end, he added.

Another patient, Malti Marwaha (48) from Vijay Nagar in Hoshiarpur, shared a similar experience.

She came to the hospital to get her eyes checked, only to learn about the doctors’ strike.

“I do not know why the government doctors are on strike, but the government should make necessary arrangements to ensure that poor patients who rely on government health institutions do not suffer,” she rued, adds PTI.

Malti Marwaha from Vijay Nagar and Vijay Kumar Behal from Sham Chaurasi also expressed their frustration over the lack of prior notice about the strike, which led to wasted time and resources.

“The government should inform people in advance about the strike by healthcare staff, so patients do not waste time coming to government health institutions,” he said.

A meeting between PCMS Association representatives and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema is scheduled for Wednesday. The association has warned that if no significant progress is made and the promotion-related notification is not issued, they will initiate a complete strike of all services starting Thursday.