Bhubaneswar: Outpatient department (OPD) services in government hospitals across Odisha faced partial disruptions on Friday as doctors launched their daily one-hour boycott from 10 am to 11 am.
The protest involves doctors government under the aegis of the Odisha Medical Service Association (OMSA), abstaining from OPD duties and work under the National Health Mission (NHM) during the specified hour. Emergency services, inpatient care, and surgeries remain unaffected to minimise impact on critical patients.
The association proceeded with the one-hour suspension of OPD services and NHM-related works over non-fulfilment of their demands, including key reforms in the state’s healthcare sector, despite a meeting with Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling.
While urging the association members to refrain from resorting to agitation, the Minister had informed them about the government’s decision to constitute a committee to look into their demands.
The demands are as follows:
- Equal pay scales matching those of central government employees, including the removal of Level-15 (as applicable to other Class-I officers in the Odisha government) without any preconditions.
- Proportional restructuring of cadres across all grades.
- Additional financial incentives for super-specialists, specialists, and diploma-holding medical administrators, along with a dedicated postmortem allowance and equivalent Performance-Based Incentives (PBI) for both OMHS and OMES cadres.
- An exit policy allowing doctors who have served more than three years in the Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK), KBK-plus, and tribal sub-plan regions to opt out or transfer.
- Annual regular recruitment of doctors and ensuring timely promotions.
- Amendment of the Odisha Medicare Act-2008 to include non-bailable warrants for individuals assaulting doctors.
- Provision of 24/7 armed security and dedicated police outposts in all healthcare facilities across the state.
- Additionally, the doctors have sought:Regularisation of ad-hoc appointments.
- Counting of ad-hoc and contractual service periods toward regular service benefits.
- Comprehensive health insurance coverage for all healthcare workers.
