Patients face music as doctors in Orissa go on strike

BHUBANESWAR: Patients visiting government hospitals across the state had hard times on Friday as the agitating doctors belonging to the Orissa Medical Services Association (OMSA) refused to admit them because of non-response from the state government to fulfill two of their major their demands.

The doctors are asking for Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) and cancellation of a mass transfer order of their colleagues.

“The government is yet to respond to our demands. The OMSA is left with no other alternative but to go on an indefinite strike from Sunday,” Dr Madhusudan Mishra said.

The government has already issued a warning to doctors planning to go on strike by saying that it would evoke provisions of Essential Services and Maintenance Act (ESMA) and book those who would not turn up for duty.

Hardening the stand on Friday, health secretary in-charge, Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, said the government would write to the Indian Medical Association for deregistration of the agitating doctors if they did not refrain from their proposed strike.

“We have consulted the state law department. It has opined that that the government can write to the Indian Medical Association for deregistration of the doctors. If the doctors do not pay any heed to the government’s request for cooperation, we will certainly take this move,” Mr Mohapatra said.

Meanwhile, the state government made special arrangements in three government-run medical college and hospitals at Cuttack, Burla and Berhampur by mobilizing doctors and pharmacists and nurses from other parts of the country.

It cancelled leave applications of doctors and para-medical staffs.

Condemning the government’s threat, OMSA Cuttack district President Dr Madhusudan Mishra said, “If the government is mobilizing doctors from other places, why is it threatening to evoke ESMA and go for deregistration of doctors?”

Although chief minister Naveen Patnaik has formed a ministerial committee under the chairmanship finance minister Prafulla Ghadei to solve the crisis, it has not yet met despite the imminent strike by doctors.