Odisha government withholds salaries of protesting doctors

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has ordered the withholding of salaries of doctors participating in the ongoing agitation and directed officials to initiate action against contract medical officers involved in the protest.

The Health and Family Welfare Department has directed all government medical colleges, hospitals, and Chief District Medical and Public Health Officers (CDMOs-PHOs) to immediately withhold the salaries of doctors from the Odisha Medical and Health Services (OMHS) cadre participating in the agitation. The department has also directed officials to issue formal notices to contract doctors participating in the protest, warning them that their services may be terminated after the notice, if necessary.