Haryana Govt doctors warn of medical service shutdown on December 8, 9
Chandigarh: Doctors under the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) Association have issued a stern warning to the state government, announcing 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 further warned that an open-ended strike would commence from December 10 if no resolution is reached. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Association’s State Action Committee, where members expressed deep anger over what they termed an uncaring and indifferent attitude of the government towards legitimate concerns of the HCMS cadre.
Doctors said they felt deceived as assurances made by the government over a year ago remain unfulfilled. Among the major unresolved issues is the earlier assurance to halt direct hiring of Senior Medical Officers and instead fill all such positions through promotions after necessary changes in service regulations. The association pointed out that, despite this promise, out of the sanctioned SMO posts, 200 continue to lie vacant, with 160 of them still earmarked for direct recruitment as the required rule amendments have not been carried out.
Talking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Rajesh Khyalia, president of the association, stated, “We have been demanding that direct recruitment of Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) should be stopped as the SMO’s posts should be filled by giving proper promotion to the doctors. Another demand is regarding the long-standing demand for Assured Career Progressions (ACPs). Though the chief minister and the finance department approved the newly proposed APC slab but nothing has been formally notified yet. We are not trying to disrupt the healthcare by starting an agitation, but if the delay prevails, we will be left with no other option.”
The association initially sought four ACPs at 4, 9, 13, and 20 years of service on par with central norms. Last year, the government agreed to revise the structure of three ACPs at 5 years (6600 GP), 10 years (8000 GP), and 15 years (9500 GP). The association also pointed out that instead of appointing specialists directly to SMO administrative posts, authorities can adopt compensatory measures like Specialist Incentive, Ayushman Incentive, or optional NPA to ensure that specialists continue to serve, but the right to promotion of the doctors are not overlooked.
