Bhubaneswar: In an effort to resolve the ongoing healthcare crisis, the Odisha government has called a meeting with representatives of the Odisha Medical Service Association (OMSA) as the indefinite strike by peripheral cadre doctors entered its third day on Friday.
Director of Health Services Mahesh Mohan Panda announced that discussions with OMSA leaders will be held at the office of Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling on Saturday morning. The government hopes the meeting will pave the way for a resolution to the standoff that has affected healthcare services across several government-run hospitals and health centres.
The strike, which began on Wednesday, has disrupted medical services in various parts of the state. In response, the Health Department has taken a firm stance, ordering the immediate withholding of salaries of doctors who have abstained from patient care duties. The department has also directed authorities to initiate formal action against contractual doctors participating in the agitation.
Despite the government’s warning, OMSA members have remained firm on their decision to continue the strike until their demands are addressed.
The association’s 10-point charter of demands includes implementation of the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) scheme in line with central government norms, cadre restructuring, enhanced incentives for super-specialists and specialists, postmortem allowances, implementation of a three-year exit policy for doctors serving in KBK and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) areas, and stronger safety and security measures, including amendments to the Odisha Medicare Act.
Doctors participating in the protest argue that their concerns have been repeatedly ignored despite multiple representations to the government. They maintain that withdrawing the agitation without concrete assurances could once again delay action on long-pending issues affecting the medical fraternity.
With healthcare services continuing to face disruptions, all eyes are now on Saturday’s meeting, which could determine whether the strike is resolved or prolonged further.
