Chandigarh:
Opposing the Haryana government’s plan to directly recruit Senior Medical Officers (SMOs)—a process not carried out since 2012—government doctors across the state observed a two-hour pen-down strike on Thursday, November 27, 2025. The protest was also aimed at pressing the authorities to fulfil several long-pending demands.
Organised under the banner of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), doctors halted OPD services, reporting work, and all administrative duties between 9 am and 11 am. However, emergency services, labour room duties, and surgeries continued without interruption to avoid patient distress.
Demands of the Doctors
The key demands include:
- Immediate withdrawal of the proposal for direct recruitment of SMOs.
- Issuance of the modified Assured Career Progression (ACP) structure, already approved by the Chief Minister but pending with the Finance Department.
Strike Decision and Background
The decision to protest was finalised by the HCMSA Action Committee during an online meeting earlier this week. Initially planned for Tuesday, the protest was postponed to Thursday due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kurukshetra.
HCMSA state president Dr. Rajesh Khyalia told The Tribune, “All OPD services, except emergency, labour room, and operations, were suspended. On June 3, 2021, then Health Minister Anil Vij had clearly ordered that no direct SMO recruitment should take place and promotions should be given to existing doctors. Despite this, the government is now planning direct recruitment. This hasn’t been done since 2012.”
ACP Structure Delay Raises Pay-Scale Concerns
Doctors also highlighted the delay in notifying the modified ACP structure, which seeks to upgrade their pay scale from Rs 8,700 to Rs 9,500, thereby aligning them with medical college doctors.
HCMSA treasurer Dr. Deepak Goyal said, “Even a Civil Surgeon currently earns less than a medical college doctor. Although the CM has approved the modified ACP, the Finance Department has not released the notification. We also met the DGHS, but no concrete step has been taken. We have asked the CM and Health Minister for time to present our issues.”
