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Doctors withdraw resignations

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa Medical Services Association (OMSA) on Saturday announced to take back doctors’ resignation papers assuring that government health institutions will operate normally.

The announcement came soon after a delegation of the OMSA met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State secretariat, a day before government doctors’ much hyped threat of mass absence in hospitals from Sunday.

Emerging from the meeting, the OMSA president Madhusudan Mishra said, “The government has accepted most of our demands. Regarding dismissal proceedings against three doctors, the Chief Minister has assured that the government has not taken any final decision. He will consider the case on merit after we informed him as to how the decision to disarticulate palms was taken.”

“The restructuring of medical services cadres will be carried within three months. There were some difficulties, which will be sorted out,” Dr. Mishra said.

Moreover, a policy would be announced in the forthcoming State assembly session, the OMSA president said.

About 2,500 government doctors had tendered mass resignation demanding revocation of proceedings to dismiss three doctors who disarticulated palms of tribals killed in police firing in Kalinganagar area. Their other demands included restructuring of cadre as well as policy formulation to ensure safety of doctors in workplace.

During the day uncertainty prevailed in about 1,200 health institutions across 30 districts of the State. Many opportunities came when Mr. Patnaik was about to meet the OMSA delegation, but the much-anticipated meeting could not take place. It had a telling impact on the government-run health institutions across the State. Doctors started to desert hospitals while relatives of patients had no other options but to look for nearest nursing homes.

At Capital Hospital, three seriously ill patients in the Cardiology Department were referred to the SCB Medical College Hospital while flow of outdoor patients had dried up in the morning. Similar was the situation with every government hospitals across the State. People’s apprehensions about possible worse situation had started to grow since Friday when the State Government invoked Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) holding doctors’ agitation illegal.

On Saturday, the situation worsened further when the State Government appeared to toughen its stance directing homoeopathic and ayurvedic doctors to man government hospitals to be deserted by government allopathic doctors from November 9.

Director of Health Services Sukadev Sethi tried his best to mediate between doctors’ body and government. His efforts appeared futile since the OMSA bluntly refused to talk to anybody other than the Chief Minister.

The State Health Minister, Sanatan Bisi, alos tried his part to placate doctors and clear some misunderstandings. He even read out a statement before the media. By the late evening the situation, however, remained unchanged.

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