Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association (HMOA) has called off the strike after getting assurance from the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for sympathetic consider their demands. The Association was today called for consultation to end three days old two hour pen down strike as meeting was held at state Secretariat with Chief Secretary V.C. Pharka.
The Government spokesman said that HMOA decided to called off the two hours pen down strike after meeting Chief Minister in his chamber here today. Doctors had gone on one day mass leave on Jan 23 on the demand to get them protection during the duties and enactment of new non-bailable legislation on the analogy Media person Act 2010 implemented by 16 States in the Country including Punjab.
The government assured in them that to make the any attacks or assault on doctor a cognizable offense it would be tabled a bill in the upcoming budget session of state assembly so that law could be enacted in this regard. Beside this Chief Minister also promised the doctors that it would table another demand of promotion on the time scale of 4-9-14 (yrs) in the Cabinet. During the meeting Medical Officers were also assured by the Government to promote Block Medical Officers (BMO) in a time bound manner and gave directions to look into the demand of residences for Resident doctors.
The Doctors led by their patron, Dr. Baldev Thakur, State President of HMOA, Dr. Jeeva Nand Chauhan, General Secretary Dr. Pushpinder Verma gave a call to end the strike immediately. On state wide call of Himachal Medical Officers Association(HMOA) as many as 1700 medical officers had gone on two hours pen down strike in all hospitals in the state today partly affecting health services, Earlier on Feb 1 HOMA was called for consultation meeting on Feb 7 however with crippling of the health services state government pre-poned the meeting for today.
Doctors in the State were seeking fool proves security and safety to medical officers and no political influence, interference and threatening protesting on the number of such incidents with medical officers during their duties recently. HMOA has give the call of strike and token strike twice in last two year as state government could not resolved their demand of stringent actions and enactment of necessary law to deal with the people who indulged in violence with working doctors in the hospitals.
