Haryana government doctors hold two-hour strike to push for demands, pause OPD services
Chandigarh (PTI): Government doctors in Haryana on Thursday observed a two-hour pen-down strike and kept the OPD services closed over non-fulfilment of their demands.
These include no direct recruitment of senior medical officers (SMOs) and implementation of the career progression scheme.
The strike -- observed between 9 am and 11 am -- followed a call given by the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) Association, a body representing government doctors in the state.
It had said the OPD services, except emergency and labour room and operations, would remain suspended.
At several places, the OPD services were impacted.
Dr Rajesh Khyalia, president, HCMS Association, said, "For a long time, we have been demanding that there should be no direct recruitment of SMOs. A few years ago, Minister Anil Vij, who held the health department, had ordered that there be no direct recruitment of the SMOs, and last year, too, the government had agreed on this. But now, it is again planning the direct recruitment."
The association is also demanding the implementation of the assured progression scheme.
“Even after being approved by the chief minister, the scheme is stuck at the bureaucratic level and has not been implemented or notified," he added.
The doctors from a number of government health institutions observed the strike across the state, Khyalia said.
He said the further course of action pertaining to their demands would be charted soon.
The association said the direct recruitment of SMOs would block the growth of hundreds of medical officers awaiting promotion to the post after completing 20 years of service, adding that it would lead to "severe stagnation in the cadre".
"This means that the majority of the doctors are limited to only one promotion, and it will lead to many taking a voluntary retirement from service due to the lack of promotional avenues," Khyalia said.
"In the entire country, there is no provision anywhere for direct entry at the SMO level," he added.
Meanwhile, an official statement said the Haryana government's health department had made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth services amid the pen-down strike.
Instructions had been given to the civil surgeons and principal medical officers to keep the OPDs and all emergency services running so that patients do not face inconvenience.
The government had directed them that the services of all consultants and contract medical officers should also be utilised.
The statement said that approximately 400 doctors working under the national healthcare initiative had also been deployed for the OPD services.
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Talks ended without deal due to 'excessive demands' made by US: Iran
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Islamabad (PTI): The Iran-US talks in Pakistan have ended without a deal due to "excessive demands" made by the American side, a top Iranian official said on Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, however, said Iran is determined to utilise all tools, including diplomacy, to secure national interests and protect the country's well-being.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, said the talks failed to reach a peace deal, citing Tehran not forgoing its nuclear programme as one of the key sticking points. He said the American side presented its "final and best offer" to the Iranian side, but it did not accept it.
Baqaei, however, said that the two sides reached a consensus on some issues, but they held different views regarding 2-3 important matters.
He said that during the intensive negotiations that began Saturday morning, with Pakistan's mediation, numerous messages and texts were exchanged between the two sides.
"In the past 24 hours, discussions were held on various dimensions of the main negotiation topics, including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting of sanctions, and the complete end to the war against Iran and in the region," Baqaei said.
"The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran's legitimate rights and interests," he added.
He said it was natural that Iran should not have expected from the beginning to reach an agreement within one meeting. "No one expected that either."
"We have not forgotten and will not forget the experiences of America's breaches of promise and malicious acts," he said.
He thanked Pakistan for hosting the negotiations and for its efforts in advancing this process.
In a brief statement to the media, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan helped mediate several rounds of “intense and constructive” discussions over the past 24 hours.
Expressing hope for progress, Dar said both sides should maintain a positive spirit to achieve durable peace and regional stability.
Dar said Pakistan would continue to play its role in facilitating engagement and dialogue between Iran and the United States in the coming days.
The Iranian delegation, led by Speaker Mohammad Baqir Galibaf, had arrived in Islamabad on Friday night, while the US delegation, headed by Vice President JD Vance, arrived on Saturday morning.
It was the first direct, high-level engagement between Iran and the US since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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