Odisha govt imposes ESMA to ban doctors’ strike
Odisha government today imposed the Odisha Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1988 (ESMA) with an aim to ban strikes by doctors and other medical staff including nurses and pharmacists.
Bhubaneswar: Odisha government today imposed the Odisha Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1988 (ESMA) with an aim to ban strikes by doctors and other medical staff including nurses and pharmacists.
As per the notification issued by the Home Department of the state government, the ESMA has been invoked to ban the strikes by medical staff for the next six months.
Hundreds of doctors in government hospitals and medical facilities across Odisha boycotted outpatient (OPD) services for two hours from 9 to 11 a.m. on Monday (January 5, 2026), demanding salaries based on the Central pay structure.
Over 6000 doctors, who are the members of the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) and are posted in the government hospitals and medical colleges across the state, have been protesting since December 26 in order to press their demand of fulfillment of ten key demands including the provision of DSC posts at the central level, restructuring of the dental cadre, and enhancement of post-mortem allowances.
As their ongoing protest is massively affecting the outpatient services, the state government imposed the ESMA to ban their strikes.
“Whereas the State Government are satisfied that in the interest of Public, it is necessary to prohibit strikes in the form of cessation of work by the Doctors, Nursing officers, Pharmacy officers, other Paramedics, Technicians, class-III and Class-IV employees etc. including contractual employees in services/ engagements connected with maintenance of medical services in the Government Hospitals and Dispensaries in the State like District Head Quarters Hospitals, Sub- Divisional Hospitals, Area Hospitals, Community Health Center, Primary Health Centers, Municipality Hospitals etc. including Medical Colleges and Hospitals run by Government and other autonomous Health Institutions receiving Grant-in aid from State Government, specifically AHRCC, Regional Spinal Injury Centre including Jail Hospitals, Police Hospitals etc. so that health care delivery system in the State is not affected / disrupted,” read the notification.
“Now, therefore, in exercise of the power conferred by sub-section (1) of Section-3 read with Section-2 of the Odisha Essential Services (Maintenance) Act 1988 (Odisha Act 9 of 1992), the State Government do hereby prohibit strikes in the aforesaid services. The order shall remain in force for a period of six months with effect from the date of issue,” she added.
