Bhubaneswar, July 3 -- Odisha government initiated a strict administrative crackdown against protesting doctors. The govt ordered the immediate withholding of salaries for doctors who have abandoned patient care. The Health and Family Welfare Department further directed that contractual doctors participating in the statewide agitation be served formal notices and face subsequent termination from service if required.

The government issued explicit instructions to stop the pay of medical officers belonging to the Odisha Medical and Health Services (OMHS) cadre. Official letters detailing these disciplinary measures were dispatched to all government medical colleges, hospitals, and Chief District Medical and Public Health Officers (CDMOs-PH...