Doctors Protest in Odisha Despite Government Intervention

Background of the Protest

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has enacted the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (ESMA), 1988, in an attempt to prevent doctors and healthcare workers from striking. However, government doctors affiliated with the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) proceeded with their planned protest on Wednesday, boycotting outpatient department (OPD) services for two hours.

Details of the Boycott

The OPD services were suspended statewide from 9 am to 11 am at all government medical colleges and hospitals, defying the government’s directive. This action is part of an ongoing agitation where the doctors are demanding the fulfillment of their 10-point charter of demands. Under the ESMA order, strikes by healthcare professionals, including doctors, nursing officers, pharmacists, paramedics, and other staff in government hospitals, have been prohibited for six months starting Tuesday.

Impact on Healthcare Services

Despite the government’s intervention, the protesting doctors have vowed to continue their agitation. While emergency services remain operational, the suspension of OPD services has significantly disrupted routine healthcare, causing inconvenience to patients, particularly those from rural areas. According to reports from Medic Helpline, the government’s recent invocation of ESMA coincides with an escalation in protests from doctors who extended their OPD boycott to two hours daily.

Demands of the Medical Staff

The doctors are advocating for several key issues, including pay parity with central government employees, proportional restructuring of job cadres across all grades, and additional financial incentives for super-specialists, specialists, and diploma medical administrators. The boycott of OPD services began on December 26, initially for one hour a day, but was extended to two hours from 9 am to 11 am starting January 5. Emergency services, inpatient care, and surgeries have continued without interruption.

Government Response

The ongoing agitation, organized by OMSA, has been in place since November, focusing on a 10-point charter that includes filling vacant positions. Prior to the OPD boycott, doctors had protested by wearing black badges. The state government enacted ESMA after OMSA declined an appeal from Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling to return to work, with a promise that their demands would be considered sympathetically. In response, the government has also formed an inter-departmental committee to review the issues raised by the doctors. However, OMSA has rejected both the government’s appeal and the committee proposal, insisting on a written guarantee for the fulfillment of their demands.