Today, employees of the National Health Mission (NHM) and physicians from Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) together organized a protest rally in front of the district civil surgeon’s office in Rohtak.

The Indian Medical Association’s Haryana section has offered assistance to the HCMS physicians as well.

“The strike is on and will continue until our demands are met,” said Dr. Vishwajit Rathi, the head of the HCMS physicians association’s local branch.

Sources inside the Health Department claim that on Thursday and Friday, the HCMS physicians at the nearby Civil Hospital did not perform any procedures or post-mortems.

The prolonged strike has also rendered useless the issue of medical certifications, medico-legal reports, and other medical services.

According to sources, when word of the doctors’ strike spread, the number of patients attending the OPDs at the nearby Civil Hospital fell sharply today.

On July 24, 1,947 people had come to the Civil Hospital for care; on July 25 and July 26, that number had fallen to 1,296 and 1,022, respectively.

Just 647 of the 1,296 patients who attended the hospital on July 25 received care, compared to the 1,947 patients who went on July 24. Out of the 1,022 patients that came to the hospital on July 26, just 473 received treatment, according to a source.

The physicians on strike claim that the state authorities’ indolent behavior has forced them to go on strike.