Balasore: The Odisha government's crackdown on the ongoing strike by government doctors has intensified, with the Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer, Balasore, directing all striking doctors in the district to withdraw from the agitation and report for duty within 12 hours.

A letter issued by the official to the DMO-cum-Superintendent of District Headquarters Hospital, Balasore, the Superintendent of SDH Nilgiri, and all Community Health Centres (CHCs) has asked them to ensure that doctors participating in the strike immediately resume their duties.

The letter specifically refers to doctors belonging to the Odisha Medical and Health Services (OMHS) cadre and other doctors who joined the strike called by the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA).

According to the letter, the direction has been issued following instructions conveyed by the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department through a video conference. The district health administration has asked the striking doctors to withdraw from the protest and report for duty within 12 hours to avoid disciplinary action by the government.

The letter also appealed to doctors to return to work at the earliest in the interest of healthcare services.

The latest directive comes hours after the Health and Family Welfare Department warned of strict action against doctors continuing the strike. The department has directed authorities to stop the salaries of regular OMHS cadre doctors who remain absent from duty and initiate termination proceedings against contractual doctors participating in the agitation.

The state government has maintained that health services are covered under the Odisha Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (OESMA), under which strikes by doctors and paramedical staff are prohibited. It has termed the ongoing boycott of medical services as a violation of service conduct rules and said the protest has disrupted healthcare services across government hospitals in the state.

Reacting to the ongoing situation, Dr Mahesh Mohan Panda, Director of Health Services, said the department is closely monitoring developments across the state. He said reports have been received that doctors have resumed duties in some districts, including Dhenkanal and Kalahandi.

Dr Panda said the government has been compelled to initiate action against striking doctors in accordance with the rules. He added that barring a few isolated incidents, there have been no reports of any major disruption in health services.

Referring to reports that postmortem examinations had been affected at some places, the Health Director said the issue has since been resolved. He reiterated that the department is continuously monitoring the situation and reviewing developments on a regular basis.