Docs' strike illegal: Govt cracks whip
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 30 2022:
The Government has declared the strike launched by the All Manipur Health Services Doctors' Association (AMHSDA) as illegal and the Directorate of Health Services has issued a strict instruction not to give any kind of leave to doctors on unreasonable grounds.
An office memorandum, the Directorate of Health Services issued today said the State Government is in the process of examining various demands of the AMHSDA and added that the warning issued by the doctors' association is 'unreasonable'.
The strike launched by the association is 'highly unbecoming of public servants' engaged in delivery of essential public healthcare services.
"Taking mass casual leave by the MHS doctors would disrupt functioning of healthcare facilities and result in denial of essential services to thousands of patients," the memorandum read.
Notably, the All Manipur Health Services Doctors' Association (AMHSDA) has been staging a series of agitations for quite some time.
The doctors have been demanding a time-bound promotion and an extension of the superannuation age of doctors to 65 years among others.
AMHSDA members have been staging relay hunger strike since November 26.Earlier, the doctors had put on black badges and held sit-in protests.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Health Services said the State Government has declared any strike announced or commenced by the members of the AMHSDA as "illegal".
The word "strike includes a general, token, sympathetic, go-slow, sit-down, pendown, stay-in, mass abstention from work without permission (which is wrongly described as mass casual leave), etc".
As the strike called by members of the AMHSDA has been declared illegal, unauthorised absence by any doctor will be deemed to cause an interruption or break in service.
No application for casual leave or any type of leave on unreasonable ground shall be accepted.
Further, all the CMOs, MSs, State Program Officers and other heads of office under the Health Department shall make it abundantly clear to all the members of the AMHSDA that no application for casual or any type of leave on unreasonable ground shall be accepted.
Also, they shall report about any disruption in the delivery of healthcare services due to any type of strike by members of the AMHSDA, said the Directorate of Health Services.