Bhubaneswar, July 4 -- Odisha experienced severe disruptions in hospitals as the state-wide agitation by government doctors entered its fourth consecutive day on Saturday. Long queues of unattended patients were reported at major hospitals. The strike expanded to impact mortuaries, forcing relatives to wait for days to claim bodies after post-mortem examinations.

As per reports, the ongoing strike, spearheaded by the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA), brought medical services to a standstill in multiple districts.

To mitigate the deepening healthcare crisis, the state administration scrambled resources, deploying AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) practitioners alongside contractual doctors to...