Haryana govt doctors demanding end to direct SMO recruitment shut OPDs for two hours
Dr Anil Yadav, general secretary of HCMSA said that the OPD services have been resumed after a two-hour pen down strike and emergency services remained functional during this time
Doctors under the banner of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) on Thursday observed a two-hour pen-down strike and shut down out-patient department (OPD) services from 9am to 11am while pressing for their long-pending demands.
Dr Anil Yadav, general secretary of HCMSA said that the OPD services have been resumed after a two-hour pen down strike and emergency services remained functional during this time.
“We are demanding to stop direct recruitment of senior medical officers (SMOs) and the issuance of the modified Assured Career Progression (ACP) structure, which has been approved by the chief minister but is still pending with the finance department for the last one year. The then health minister Anil Vij had directed to stop the direct recruitment of SMOs but the process has been initiated again. There is no direct recruitment of SMOs across the country, except Haryana,” Yadav added.
He further said that the meeting of the action committee of HCMSA will be held on November 30 to discuss further course of action after seeing the response of the government on these matters.
Ajit Kumar, a resident of Kairu village in Bhiwani said that he had faced difficulty as the doctors went on strike at 9 am and their turn came at 11.40 am. He said that the government should address the issue of doctors as fewer medicos opt for the government sector. Long queues of patients were also seen in Hisar, Rohtak, Jind and other parts of the state.
Parvesh Kundu, a resident of Ritoli village said that he had visited Rohtak civil hospital for the check-up of his father, who suffered leg injury last week. “We had to wait for three hours to get my mother’s turn. The patients had suffered the brunt of strike,” he said.
Doctors in Haryana, under the HCMSA, conducted a two-hour pen-down strike on Thursday, halting OPD services from 9am to 11am to demand the cessation of direct recruitment of senior medical officers and the implementation of the modified ACP structure. Emergency services remained operational. Patients faced long wait times, highlighting the impact of the strike on healthcare access.