A crucial meeting is scheduled today to address the ongoing strike by government doctors in Odisha.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling will meet representatives of the Odisha Medical Service Association (OMSA) at 12:30 PM to discuss possible solutions.
For the past several days, government doctors under OMSA have staged protests across the state. They have suspended OPD services daily between 9 AM and 11 AM, demanding fulfilment of their 10-point charter. Patients in government hospitals have faced significant inconvenience due to the strike.
Doctors’ demands include salary hikes, promotions, workplace improvements, and additional benefits. Earlier, the state government formed a secretary-level committee to examine these demands, but doctors deemed the move inadequate and intensified their agitation.
In response, the government invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), which prohibits strikes in the health sector for six months. Despite this, doctors have continued their protest, posing a major challenge for the administration.
Minister Mukesh Mahaling has repeatedly appealed to doctors to withdraw the strike, assuring them that the government is considering their demands seriously. OMSA leaders, however, insist on resolving the issues through dialogue.
