The Jharkhand doctors protest will begin statewide on October 12 over demands for time-bound career progression, changes to the Clinical Establishments Act and a law protecting medical professionals, with doctors warning of an indefinite strike from October 22 if the state government does not take concrete action.
Around 20,000 doctors from district hospitals, medical colleges and private healthcare facilities are expected to participate, according to the Jharkhand State Health Services Association. Doctors will wear black badges while continuing to attend to patients until October 20, observe a symbolic strike on October 21 and begin an indefinite strike from October 22, the organisation said.
The protest is centred on the demand for Dynamic Assured Career Progression, or DACP, which provides time-bound financial and professional advancement. JSHSA secretary Dr Mrityunjay Singh told the Times of India that government doctors in Jharkhand lag five years behind their counterparts in Bihar in terms of financial upgradation.
Singh said doctors in Bihar receive four financial upgradations over 20 years, while doctors in Jharkhand receive the same number over 25 years. He also said the state framed recruitment rules for specialist doctors in 2015 but had not introduced DACP rules for them in the 11 years since then.
The association has asked the Jharkhand government to align its rules for doctors with those followed in Bihar. The demand places the state’s career progression framework for government doctors at the centre of the dispute, particularly for specialists working in public hospitals and medical colleges.
The Indian Medical Association’s Jharkhand chapter has separately sought changes to the Clinical Establishments Act. Its officials said hospitals with up to 50 beds, nursing homes and clinics should be exempted from the law to help healthcare facilities reach remote areas. They also called for a clear regulatory framework for facilities with more than 50 beds.
The associations’ position reflects a dispute over how smaller healthcare facilities are regulated across the state. The organisations have argued that applying the same framework to small clinics and larger hospitals could affect the expansion of services, particularly in locations where access to healthcare facilities is limited.
Doctors have also demanded a Medical Protection Act, citing recurring incidents of violence reported across Jharkhand. Singh said such legislation was needed to ensure the safety and security of medical professionals. The demand links workplace safety in hospitals to the state’s wider system of healthcare administration and law enforcement.
In September, IMA national president Dr Anil Kumar J Nayak wrote to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, urging the state government to consider the demands raised by medical associations. The associations said several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, had amended the Clinical Establishments Act according to their requirements.
The immediate schedule announced by the doctors’ organisations leaves the state government with the period up to October 20 to respond before the symbolic strike planned for October 21. The organisations have said the indefinite strike will begin on October 22 if they do not receive concrete action on their demands.
