Thiruvananthapuram: The protest by doctors in Kerala’s government medical colleges has intensified as the agitation by the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) entered its sixth week. As part of their ongoing strike, KGMCTA has announced that outpatient (OP) services will be boycotted across all government medical colleges on November 29.
Along with the OPD boycott, doctors will also skip theory classes for medical students on the same day. However, the association has assured that all emergency services—including casualty, labour room, ICU, and surgeries—will operate normally, ensuring that critical care remains unaffected.
Protest Continues Amid Government Inaction
The decision to intensify the agitation follows more than a month of protests, beginning October 20, without any response from the government. As part of their protest plan scheduled from October 20 to November 29, KGMCTA stated they will stay away from official discussions and hold protest meetings in all medical colleges.
The association warned that if the government does not take favourable action soon, they will be forced to move towards an indefinite strike with greater intensity.
Key Demands of KGMCTA
Doctors have been raising long-pending demands for months, including:
- Correction of pay revision anomalies
- Fixing discrepancies in entry-level pay of Assistant Professors
- Immediate release of pending pay revision arrears since 2016
- Creation of adequate faculty posts in new medical colleges as per National Medical Commission (NMC) norms
- Additional faculty appointments in existing medical colleges based on patient load
KGMCTA told The Hindu, “We were forced to intensify our agitation as the government chose to ignore our long-standing demands. We appeal to the public to avoid hospital visits for non-emergency needs on the protest days.”
Series of OPD Boycotts Already Held
This is not the first OPD boycott by medical college doctors. Protesting against the State Government’s failure to address the issues of delayed pay revisions and staff shortages, doctors had earlier boycotted outpatient services on:
- October 28 (Tuesday)
- November 5 (Wednesday)
- November 13 (Thursday)
- November 21 (Friday)
- November 29 (Saturday) (planned)
Months-Long Agitation Since July 1
The association’s protest is not new; it began on July 1, with repeated appeals to the government to address their concerns. Despite several phases of agitation, no significant steps have been taken so far, prompting the doctors to escalate their movement.
As the stalemate continues, healthcare services in government medical colleges may face further disruptions if the issue remains unresolved in the coming days.
