Doctors from Government Medical College Hospitals in Kerala are intensifying their agitation by staying out of all outpatient clinics on Monday.
The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) on Friday said it was forced to adopt a mode of protest that has put the public in trouble as the government has been completely dismissive of their long-standing demands and silent protests.
As the faculty will boycott work, only junior doctors and PG medicos will be available to work in medical college hospitals (MCHs) on Monday. Therefore, the public should not visit the MCH on a given day except in exceptional cases, KGMCTA appealed to the public.
Some of the demands raised by KGMCTA are very long standing.
Requirements
The salary revision of medical college doctors is done once in 10 years and in Kerala, the doctor salary revision which was due in 2016 was done only in 2020. The doctors are demanding payment of salary arrears and financial assistance for the last four or more years.
Other requirements include solving anomalies in the entry cadre and appointing doctors in proportion to the patient load.
KGMCTA demanded that the government should create adequate new posts of doctors, instead of redeploying doctors from existing medical colleges to newly opened ones. This might trick the National Medical Commission into recognizing the new medical colleges, but it would not solve the problem of acute shortage of doctors, KGMCTA said.
While the medical colleges were finding it difficult to meet the daily requirement of medical care for the people due to the acute shortage of doctors, the government in the name of labor arrangement was transferring existing doctors to new medical colleges which lacked even basic infrastructure. This disrupted the functioning of medical schools. The government did not seem to understand that the KGMCTA strike was also against this policy of the government which was denying top quality care to poor patients, the association said. This doctors’ strike was forced on the people by the government, KGMCTA said.
KGMCTA intended to continue boycotting OP clinics in a relay fashion on October 28 (Tuesday), November 5 (Wednesday), November 13 (Thursday), November 21 (Friday) and November 29 (Saturday). Classes for medical students would also remain suspended on these days.
Published – 17 Oct 2025 20:09 IST
