Doctors on strike from today,Orissa threatens arrests

The Orissa government on Saturday threatened to arrest government doctors under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and cancel their MCI registration if they went ahead with their proposed state-wide strike from Sunday.

The Orissa Medical Services Association (OMSA),a body of government doctors last week announced that they would cease work from April 18 if Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP),a time-bound promotion scheme,was not implemented. Though the state government last year promised us that a doctor would get at least three promotions during his career under the DACP,there are many doctors who have not even got a single promotion even after 20 years of service, said OMSA president Dr Madhusudan Mishra. We had warned the state government and now we have no options left, he added.

Health Secretary (in-charge) Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said under no circumstances would the state government tolerate the strike. Since ESMA is in force,the doctors cant strike work. It is illegal. If they do then they would be liable for prosecution with imprisonment up to six months and monetary penalty up to Rs 500, he said.

He said the doctors have no reason to strike as a ministerial committee has been formed to look into the demands of doctors including implementation of the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) to ensure time-bound promotion.