Haryana doctors escalate protest, halt OPDs and emergency services

Government hospitals in Haryana experienced the closure of Outpatient Departments (OPDs) yesterday as doctors initiated a strike to address their demands. This resulted in the suspension of various medical services, including labour room duties, post-mortems, and general surgeries.

New patient admissions were halted, and government doctors refrained from participating in various activities such as training, disability camps, blood do nation drives, licensed medical processes, and duty at camps.
The Haryana Civil Medical Services Association declared that if their demands were not met, both OPDs and emergency services would be suspended from December 29 onwards.

Dr. Rajesh Khayaliya, President of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association, revealed having discussions with Dr. RS Poonia, DG of the Health Department, yesterday. Although no resolution was reached regarding the demands, discussions are underway to organize a meeting with Home and Health Minister Anil Vij, potentially taking place in the Secretariat today.

Earlier, government hospital doctors in Haryana had closed OPDs for two hours as part of their protest, wearing black badges during demonstrations. Despite the rising number of viral patients and the looming threat of new COVID-19 variants, the absence of physicians in government hospitals is pushing patients towards seeking treatment in private hospitals. The government extended an invitation for talks, with top officials from the health department, including Additional Chief Secretary G Anupama, present. While discussions on the doctors’ demands took place, the government has not provided concrete assurances from top officials regarding their major demands, except for addressing the bond amount for postgraduate (PG) courses.