Chandigarh: Health services in government hospitals and health institutions across Haryana were affected Tuesday as hundreds of government doctors went on a two-day mass casual leave in support of their demands.
The call for Tuesday's strike was given by the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) association.
Association president Rajesh Kumar said the doctors would go on an indefinite strike Nov 10 onwards if the Haryana government did not agree with their demands, including non-practising allowance (NPA) to be made part of basic pay, modification of post-graduate (PG) admission policy to make more doctors eligible for PG courses and increments to the entire specialist cadre of doctors.
Kumar said the Haryana government had failed to take any action on their demands in the last two years, forcing the doctors to go on strike.
"We do not want patients to suffer on account of the strike by doctors. Despite being on mass casual leave today and tomorrow, doctors are attending to all emergency cases," Kumar said.
Health Minister Narender Singh said the government was already considering the demands and was hopeful that the issue would be resolved.
"The doctors should not resort to an agitational approach keeping in mind the interests of patients and the common man. The Haryana government assures them of doing its best for their demands," the minister said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 08, 2011, 13:52