The office-bearers of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), a body representing government doctors in the State, began an indefinite hunger strike at Swasthya Bhavan in Sector-6 of Panchkula on Wednesday, accusing the State government of not keeping its word on fulfilling their demands, including better pay packages and greater promotion opportunities.
‘Invited for talks’
HCMSA president Rajesh Khyalia told The Hindu over phone that the Haryana government late in the evening had invited the association for talks on Thursday, but the doctors’ body has decided to go ahead with its already announced indefinite strike from tomorrow morning, including shutting down of emergency and post-mortem services, in all government hospitals across the State. Around 3,000 doctors across the State are expected to take part in the strike.
Mr. Khyalia, the association’s vice-president Virender Kumar, and two district presidents — Mandeep Saini and Mandeep Kumar — sat on hunger strike outside the office of the Director General Health Services during the day.
Four increments
The Haryana doctors are seeking four Assured Career Progression (ACP) increments at par with the doctors in the Central government service and in States like Bihar in the fourth, ninth, 13th, and 20th year of service. They are currently paid three ACP increments in the fifth, 10th, and 15th year of service. They are also demanding that direct appointment of Senior Medical Officer be scrapped to provide more promotion opportunities as most of them get only one promotion in the entire career, besides reduction of bond amount for post-graduate courses and six-fold hike in monthly conveyance allowance to ₹3,000.
Mr. Khyalia said the State Health Department officials in a meeting with the association representatives on July 18 had assured to notify the hike in ACP increment and reduction of bond amount before July 25. The officials had also assured to take necessary approvals for one-time filling of the SMO posts through promotion and conveyance hike, he said, adding that none of the demands were met.
The doctors in the State had shut the Outdoor Patients Department services for two hours on July 15 accusing the government of not taking action on their long-pending demands.
