Haryana docs threaten to go ahead with strike from Oct 27

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) on Thursday reiterated their threat to go on an indefinite strike from October 27 and mass casual leave on October 26 if their demands if all their demands were accepted till then.

The threat come a day after the state government announced to increase the retirement age of practicing doctors from 58 to 65.

The HCMSA said that there was no satisfactory progress on their demands pertaining to career, pay and status, except “mere announcement of enhancement of retirement age’’ by health minister Anil Vij on Wednesday.

In a statement, HCMSA general secretary Rajesh Sheokand said their demands had already been accepted by Vij and were to be implemented in a time boundmanner till October 15.

The HCMSA expressed hope that a notification regarding acceptance of all their demands would be issued by October 25, failing which doctors would be forced to go on mass casual leave on October 26 and an indefinite strike from October 27, he added.

The HCMSA members also maintained that they were yet to get details about Vij’s announcement on increase in doctors’ retirement age.

The health minister had announced on Wednesday that the retirement age of practicing doctors would now be 65. He had said that retirement age of doctors working on administrative posts could be increased to 65 years only if they would opt for patient care role.

STRIKE MAY AFFECT GOLDEN JUBILEE EVENT

GURGAON: The notice for a strike by doctors in state-run hospitals, scheduled from October 27, has cast a shadow on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city on November 1 to kick off golden jubilee celebrations.

Emergency services at the venue may be hit as around 150 doctors, reserved to provide medical aid for dignitaries, from civil hospitals across the state will not participate in the event.

There will around 3,000 VIPs, 800 VVIPs and 50 personal staff of the Prime Minister at the event to mark 50 years of Haryana’s formation.

“The government has been delaying meeting our demands for the last one month. We have had a number of meetings with the health minister but, each time, we are given a new date. The doctors will go on a strike from October 27 if our demands are not met,” said Dr MP Singh, vice-president, Haryana civil medical services association.

He pointed out that earlier too Vij had promised to introduce reforms by September 30, but no concrete steps were taken.