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Haryana govt doctors back on duty after agreement on Ayushman incentive
Four-day strike was called off after two-hour meeting between Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) action committee and state health minister Arti Singh Rao in Chandigarh on Thursday night.
Healthcare services in government hospitals of Haryana were back to normal on Friday as doctors resumed their duties after the four-day strike was called off on Thursday night.
The strike that had disrupted healthcare services in government hospitals across the state was called off after the state government gave a written assurance to the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) that their demands would be met.
The meeting between the action committee of the HCMSA and state health minister Arti Singh Rao and senior health officials lasted for more than two hours in Chandigarh.
Association treasurer Dr Deepak Goyal said: “Doctors have resumed their duties after a consensus was reached at the meeting.”
The health department will implement an Ayushman Bharat incentive for doctors in place of the modified assured career progression (ACP) scheme. After the meeting, director general health services (DGHS) Manish Bansal said that the ACP could not be implemented and a panel would be formed for the Ayushman incentive instead.
The ACP was the point of contention that first led to two days of work suspension on Monday and Tuesday. The strike was extended for an indefinite period after there was no invitation for a meeting. Instead, the government imposed the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and ordered to stop salaries during the strike period.
HCMSA president Dr Rajesh Khyalia said, “The Ayushman incentive scheme shall be proposed by a committee which will examine the schemes of other state governments and guidelines issued by the National Health Authority in the same format. The panel shall include one member of the doctors’ association and will submit its proposal within a month for implementation.”
The government agreed to halt the direct recruitment of senior medical officers (SMOs) for now and will examine the service rules of other states before making a final decision on amendments.
HCMSA general secretary Dr Anil Yadav said that concerns were also raised regarding newly appointed medical officers being posted in district hospitals, which could delay their eligibility for ACP. “It was agreed that no medical officer would be denied the first ACP benefits due to posting in an urban facility if the government itself did not send them to rural areas,” he added.
The period of absence during the strike will be treated as leave.
