Chandigarh: The Democratic Medical Association (DMA India) has firmly backed the issues raised by the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) Association and demanded swift, concrete action from the state government. Led by DMA National President Dr Amit Vyas, National General Secretary Dr Shubh Pratap Solanki, National Vice-President Dr Bhanu Kumar, and National Women Wing Secretary Dr Priyanshu Sharma, the association has issued a sharp warning holding the government accountable for the ongoing crisis.
Vacant SMO Posts, Delayed ACP Orders Fuel Doctors’ Anger
The DMA highlighted that over 200 Senior Medical Officer (SMO) posts are vacant, while 160 more remain stuck due to pending service-rule amendments. Additionally, ACP (Assured Career Progression) orders have not been issued for more than a year, despite continuous duty by doctors in OPDs, emergency care, OTs, and rural healthcare centres.
Doctors say the repeated breach of assurances has triggered widespread frustration and eroded trust in the administration.
Doctors Set to Shut Down Services on December 8–9
As earlier reported, the HCMS Association announced that all healthcare services — OPD, emergency, labour rooms, surgeries, and post-mortems — will be suspended on December 8 and 9 if their demands remain unaddressed.
Furthermore, they have warned of an indefinite strike starting December 10.
DMA India has now officially supported this shutdown call and stated that any disruption in health services will be the government’s responsibility.
DMA’s Key Demands to the Haryana Government
DMA India has urged the state to take the following steps without delay:
- Immediate issuance of pending ACP orders
- Unblocking and filling SMO vacancies
- Finalizing service-rule amendments
- Providing Ayushman/NPA or equivalent incentives to specialist doctors
The association declared, “Doctors are the backbone of the state. Ignoring their issues is unacceptable. If services collapse, the responsibility lies solely with the government.”
Directly Recruited Specialists Reject Strike, Oppose Scrapping SMO Direct Recruitment
Meanwhile, directly recruited postgraduate specialist doctors have distanced themselves from the strike and opposed the move to discontinue direct recruitment of SMOs.
They stated that direct recruitment is crucial to safeguard their career progression, especially since the specialist cadre, approved in 2024, has not yet been implemented.
The delay, they say, has caused significant frustration, making direct recruitment vital for their future growth.
