THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hundreds of patients were inconvenienced on Thursday as doctors under the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) staged a state-wide protest, disrupting outpatient services and planned surgeries across medical colleges.
OP clinics were run by house surgeons and senior residents, while academic sessions and other non-emergency services were affected.
Authorities at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College said the impact was minimised through prior planning. “Non-emergency surgeries were rescheduled in advance, considering the protest was announced weeks ago,” said a senior professor.
As part of the protest, KGMCTA boycotted OP services, non-emergency surgeries, and student classes.
However, treatment for admitted patients, casualty services, labour rooms, ICUs, emergency surgeries, and postmortem procedures continued without disruption.
KGMCTA has been protesting since July 1, citing unresolved demands despite repeated representations and discussions with the government over the past four years.
Despite submitting several representations and holding multiple rounds of discussions with the authorities over the past four years, no satisfactory outcome has been achieved, prompting KGMCTA to launch the protest.
However, the organisation’s demands have not yet been implemented.
During the discussion held with the health minister on November 10, neither the minister nor the finance department made any favourable decision, nor was there any clear assurance that the association’s demands would be fulfilled, according to state president Dr. Rosnara Beegum T and General Secretary Dr. Aravind C S.
Even after previous OP boycotts on October 20, 28, and November 5, the government has not taken steps to address the issues, the association said.
Protests are scheduled to be held on November 21 and 29.
Key demands include rectifying salary anomalies in the entry-cadre of assistant professors, expediting PSC appointments, releasing pending pay revision arrears, avoiding unnecessary temporary transfers, ensuring regular appointments as per NMC norms, increasing sanctioned doctor posts based on patient load, and upgrading infrastructure in government medical colleges.
KGMCTA warned that without a favourable response, it may escalate the protest to an indefinite strike after the local body elections.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association announced its decision to withdraw from VIP and e-Sanjeevani duties starting November 15, citing workplace safety concerns.
The association has been on a non-cooperation protest since November 1, demanding safe working conditions in government hospitals.