Bhubaneswar, Jan. 5 -- The Outpatient Department (OPD) services at government medical colleges and hospitals across Odisha were suspended for two hours on Monday, from 9 am to 11 am, as doctors intensified their ongoing agitation over long-pending demands, including the urgent filling up of vacant doctor posts in the state.

The protest is being led by the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA), which had earlier observed a one-hour OPD shutdown. However, citing an inadequate response from the government, the association decided to extend the suspension to two hours. During the protest period, doctors refrained from attending patients in OPDs, while emergency services continued uninterrupted.

OMSA has demanded immediate steps to fill...