Doctors end stir as govt accepts demands

The doctors have ended their strike after the government accepted their demands, including the restoration of the assured career progression scheme, enhancing security at health care establishments and filling vacant posts.

About 2,500 doctors had been on half-day strike since September 9 in support of their demands, resulting in medical services being hit at the government-run establishments.

A meeting was held among State Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, state government officials and representatives of the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) in Chandigarh today. Several such meetings had also been held in the recent past too.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the government announced that all demands of the PCMSA have been accepted. It has been decided that the assured career progression scheme will be unconditionally re-implemented within the next 12 weeks. A 24x7 security framework for health care centres across the state will be announced within a week and 400 posts of medical officers filled by the next month.

The working hours for out-patient departments (OPDs) will be extended by two hours over and above the routine schedule on the first two days of the next week, keeping in view the inconvenience caused to patients due to the the suspension of services.

PCMSA president Dr Akhil Sarin said the association welcomed the government’s pro-people decision and firmly believed that this would go a long way in strengthening the public health care system in the state.

Patients across Punjab were affected as work at OPDs remained suspended for the first part of the day at all public health centres in the state since September 9 following a call for strike by the PCMSA in support of its demands.

Emergency services and intensive care units, however, remained functional. Over 2,500 doctors went on a three-hour strike daily demanding the acceptance of their demands.

Elective or scheduled surgeries and trauma, medical examinations for driving, arms licences and recruitment, VIP duties, dope tests, meetings, reports and enquiries were among the services that were hit, though emergency services, lifesaving surgeries, intensive care units and judicial matters continued uninterrupted.

On September 11, the state government had agreed in principle to accept the doctors’ demands, but with written orders in that regard being not issued that day, the PCMSA decided to extend the agitation with work being suspended for the entire day.

In a statement issued late on September 13, the PCMSA said following the CM’s outreach, it had decided to moderate its strike call to half and would hold talks with the Finance Department on September 14 to finalise the modalities. The deputy commissioners of all districts also held discussions with the association’s district heads as part of confidence building measures.