Bhubaneswar: Patients across Odisha are set to breathe a sigh of relief as government doctors have decided to call off their statewide agitation.
The Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) announced the suspension of the strike after holding discussions with the state government, paving the way for the resumption of regular outpatient services at government hospitals from Friday.
The decision followed a meeting between OMSA representatives and Health & Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling, during which doctors’ concerns related to service conditions and workplace challenges were discussed in detail.
Health Minister Mahaling stated that the government has already constituted a high-level committee to review the demands raised by the doctors. He assured that the committee would submit its recommendations soon and that the government is committed to implementing them.
“Based on the assurance that the committee’s recommendations will be acted upon, the doctors have agreed to withdraw their agitation,” the minister said.
OMSA President Dr Kishore Mishra described the talks as constructive and said the government had provided assurances on addressing several key demands. He added that many issues are likely to be resolved by Thursday evening. “For the time being, we have suspended the agitation, and normal hospital services should resume from tomorrow,” he said.
With the strike being called off, government hospitals across the state are expected to return to full functionality. This will bring an end to the two-hour daily shutdown of outpatient departments that had affected patient services over the last few days.
