Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s statewide agitation by government doctors entered its fourth consecutive day Saturday, disrupting hospital services across the state and leaving long queues of unattended patients at major medical facilities.
The strike, led by doctors under the banner of Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA), affected outpatient, inpatient and post-mortem services in multiple districts. Mortuaries were also impacted, forcing relatives to wait for days to claim bodies after post-mortem examinations.
A high-level meeting was reportedly underway Saturday between representatives of the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) and Health and Family Welfare Department officials, including Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling, as the government sought to end the deadlock.
OMSA leaders, who confirmed they would attend the meeting, maintained that the strike, launched Wednesday, would be withdrawn only after the Odisha government provides a written assurance accepting their 10-point charter of demands. These include implementation of the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) scheme, cadre restructuring, higher incentives for specialists, postmortem allowance, a three-year exit policy for KBK and TSP areas, and stronger safety measures through revision of the Odisha Medicare Act.
Also Read : Govt invites agitating docs for talks today
According to reports, in Balangir, the district headquarters hospital “stopped admitting new patients”, while OPD visitors complained that doctors were not attending wards. Families of admitted patients said routine check-ups had ceased, with nursing staff administering only scheduled injections.
At Chitrakonda Sub-Divisional Hospital in Malkangiri district, a post-mortem examination of a woman from Sidipaka village could not be conducted because of the strike, delaying the release of her body.
In Bhubaneswar, the impact was limited at Capital Hospital. While many doctors wore black badges in solidarity with the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA), they remained on duty, citing the hospital’s importance to patients from Khordha, Nayagada and Puri districts.
PNN