Bhubaneswar: The govt on Thursday appealed to protesting doctors to end their agitation and return to duty and sit for talks. The appeal comes as the strike entered its second day with protesting doctors showing no signs of relenting even as patients continued to suffer.The health and family welfare department, in a statement, said health minister Mukesh Mahaling, health secretary Aswathy S and other senior officers held detailed discussions with representatives of Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) before the strike began. Dialogue with the association had also continued at various levels, it added.The department said the govt has already accepted several of their demands and implemented benefits such as cadre restructuring, dynamic assured career progression, special incentives and place-based incentives. It has also introduced measures to support doctors pursuing higher education.“The state govt has consistently remained responsive to the legitimate demands of doctors. However, patients’ interests and continuity of healthcare services remain its top priority. Therefore, the protesting doctors have been asked to resume work immediately. The govt has stated that once they return to duty, it is fully prepared to hold constructive discussions on their demands,” said the department.Earlier, protesting doctors under the aegis of OMSA demanded the formation of a high-level committee, headed by chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, to look into their demands.OMSA president Kishore Chandra Mishra said they would not withdraw the protest unless the govt resolved their issues properly. “Our demands are legitimate and the govt should fulfil them. We are serving the common people and saving their lives. This is the least that the govt can do for us,” Mishra added.The strike, however, continued to affect outpatient (OPD) and inpatient (IPD) services across PHCs, CHCs and district headquarters hospitals (DHHs). Nila Pradhan, a patient from Daringibadi’s outskirts, visited CHC on Thursday to consult a doctor for high blood pressure. “When I asked a nurse about the availability of a senior doctor, he told me that doctors won’t attend to OPD patients. I had to return home,” Pradhan said.
