Haryana invokes Essential Services Maintenance Act banning strikes for 6 months as doctors threaten shutdown

Haryana government has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) prohibiting any form of strike by any category of employees for the next six months in the state in the backdrop of protests by government hospital doctors who went on mass casual leave Tuesday and threatened to go on an indefinite strike from Friday.

“An emergent public health situation has arisen due to (the) surge in Covid cases and any strike by employees of (the) health department at this time shall gravely affect the health and essential services required to safeguard the life of (the) community. The Governor of Haryana is further satisfied that prohibition of (the) strike by doctors or the other categories of employees including the persons engaged on contract, daily wages, honorarium basis etc working in various entities including National Health Mission, Food and Drug Administration, AYUSH etc of (the) health department, in public interest, is necessary to prohibit a strike”, the orders issued by chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal read.

The Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) had said that the doctors would be on duty on Wednesday and Thursday but if the government fails to meet their demands, they would go for a complete shutdown,including emergency, Covid and post mortem services, from Friday (January 14).

Story continues below this ad

Creating a specialist cadre for doctors, stopping the direct recruitment of senior medical officers (SMOs) and amending the post-graduate policy are the three demands of the doctors.

Despite several rounds of meetings with the state government, including the health minister Anil Vij, there has been no end to the standoff.