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State doctors on the warpath

Staff Reporter

Threaten to quit en masse if their demands are not met

Decision emerges from OMSA extraordinary meet
Government accused of inaction

BHUBANESWAR: Members of the Orissa Medical Services Association (OMSA), the largest body of government doctors, on Wednesday decided to submit their resignation papers en masse on February 18 putting the State government on a one-month notice.

“We have already collected resignation papers from 2,000 doctors. All the members of the OMSA will not join their respective duties from March 19 if the State government fails to fulfil their three major demands,” association president Madhusudan Mishra told reporters here.

The extraordinary general body meeting of the OMSA resolved to stick to the three basic demands that included protection to doctors at workplace, upward revision of pay scale on a par with the Central sector and revoke suspension order against doctors who were not at fault.

“The brewing resentment finally exploded. Our demands have not been paid any attention by successive State governments since the ‘90s. This time doctors demanded the extreme step and OMSA gave its nod,” Dr. Mishra said.

Under stress

OMSA maintained that health professionals in the State were under severe mental stress. Doctors were posted at 1,700 government institutions, including three government medical college hospitals.

“We are taking care of health of four crore population, which needs 10,000 doctors to run the health delivery system effectively. Unfortunately, some 3,000 doctors are working against the sanctioned strength of 4,259,” OMSA general secretary Siba Prasad Singh said.

Fresh medical graduates were opting for jobs outside the State as they felt that the government’s payscales were not attractive, Dr. Singh said.

On previous two occasions, OMSA had launched mass agitation. In 1988, doctors had gone for mass cessation of work but the State government had invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act. A decade later, when the doctors were preparing to hand over mass resignation papers, the State government collapsed. “Despite Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s promise to look into our demands 10 months ago, nothing has been initiated which is highly deplorable.

This time we have decided not to budge from our stand,” the OMSA general secretary said.

All the 62 branches of OMSA were represented in the extraordinary meeting. In order to secure all-round support, each branch has been empowered to constitute its action committee to impress upon the public as to why they will take the extreme step.

“We want dignity for the profession. The State government has so far taken for us granted that we will never take to agitation path,” Dr. Singh said. The OMSA listed altogether 19 demands.

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