Docs warn of boycotting OPD duty on Aug 18, 19

The Bihar Health Services Association has given an ultimatum to the government to boycott outdoor patient department duty on August 18 and 19, while asking doctors to wear black badge to work on August 16 and 17, if the state health department did not heed its seven-point charter of demands by August 12, said its president Dr Mahesh Prasad Singh, after its core committee meeting in Patna on Sunday. The Bihar Health Services Association has given an ultimatum to the government to boycott OPD duty on August 18 and 19 if the state health department did not heed its seven-point charter of demands by August 12. “Our demands include ensuring adequate security to doctors by raising a dedicated health police force, not taking disciplinary action against 12 doctors, prematurely sent off from a training in Gaya, not to force biometric attendance on government doctors till the government stipulates their duration of work and makes arrangement for residential facilities, reservation of 30 per cent seats for in-service doctors in post graduate and DNB exams, choice or home-posting, as also same location posting of doctor couples, besides ensuring regular promotion and implementation of dynamic assured career progression,” said Dr Singh. Insiders, however, said what triggered the emergent core committee meeting on Sunday was the Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development, a government institute of training and research, writing to the additional chief secretary, health, for taking action against 12 doctors, who were packed off from a recent training after they allegedly committed ruckus and misbehaved with officials at the training centre.