Bhubaneswar: As the doctors’ strike entered its third day and continued to disrupt healthcare services across Odisha, the state government invited the agitating physicians for talks Saturday and appealed to them to resume duty.
The invitation to office-bearers of the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) came a day after the doctors refused to budge despite the government’s warning to withhold the salaries of regular doctors and terminate the services of contractual and ad hoc medicos participating in the agitation.
“The Health and Family Welfare Minister will discuss the different demands of OMSA at 11 am Saturday in his chamber.
You are requested to attend the meeting on the scheduled date and time and restore normal healthcare services,” a letter addressed to the association president, Kishore Chandra Mishra, said. Around 8,000 doctors under the banner of the OMSA have been on a cease-work agitation since Wednesday at district headquarters hospitals and health facilities in sub-divisions and rural areas.
The agitating doctors are demanding cadre restructuring, implementation of the KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) exit policy, transparency in the transfer policy, insurance cover, incentives and Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) benefits on the lines of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).