Panjab Doctors Go on Strike

On 9 Sep, Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) comprising govt. doctors, suspended Out Patient Department services across the state for three hours daily initially for three days to press for their demands, including that of Assured Career Progression (ACP). PCMSA emphasized that the safety measures promised by the health minister are yet to be implemented on the ground. Also, no formal notification regarding timely promotions, a key demand in the ongoing protests, has been issued by the govt. despite repeated meetings. On 12 Sep, the govt. agreed in principle to accept a number of PCMSA demands, including restoration of the ACP and security for health care workers. The association, however, decided to continue with the strike till a formal communication accepting the demands was issued by the state govt. PCMSA called off the strike on 14 Sep after a written assurance by state health minister Dr. Balbir Singh. At a structural level, with 59% of medical officer posts and 57% of specialist positions remaining vacant, govt. hospitals in Panjab are grappling with a severe shortage of medical staff. For instance, Fazilka district has only 51 specialist doctors out of 152 sanctioned posts and 23 medical officers against 82 sanctioned posts. Additionally, key positions such as civil surgeon, assistant civil surgeon, and district immunization officer remain unfilled. The latest Health Dynamics of India: Infrastructure and Human Resources 2022-23 report compiled by the central govt. health ministry, provides data on health infrastructure in all states, including manpower, up to 31 Mar 2023. It paints a grim picture for Panjab. Urban areas need 258 Primary Health Centers (PHCs), but currently only 124 PHCs are open. Rural areas need 3,575 sub-centres but only 2,857 are open (SDW Vol 2 Issue 1, Story 7).