Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 18: The indefinite strike by medical college doctors in Kerala entered its third day on Wednesday, with the agitation set to intensify further. From Thursday, doctors will stay away from all elective surgical procedures, escalating their protest over unresolved pay revision arrears.
Emergency surgeries and procedures, labour rooms, intensive care units (ICUs), post-mortem services and emergency laboratory diagnostics have been exempted from the boycott. However, the suspension of elective surgeries is expected to severely disrupt patient care, leading to a backlog of cases and prolonged waiting periods at medical college hospitals (MCHs) in the coming days.
Outpatient (OP) clinics at MCHs are currently being managed by senior and junior residents along with house surgeons, in the absence of senior faculty members. Patient care has reportedly been affected, as trainees are unable to take independent treatment decisions.
The doctors, under the banner of the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA), have been on a non-cooperation strike since July 1. They decided to intensify their protest after multiple rounds of discussions with the government failed to resolve their pay revision demands.
On Wednesday, remarks by Health Minister Veena George — stating that doctors should have avoided the “unnecessary” OP boycott and the hardships caused to the public — triggered widespread resentment within the medical fraternity. Her statement that doctors proceeded with the strike despite the Finance Minister’s clarification regarding legal obstacles in disbursing pay revision arrears has been strongly contested by the association.
According to the KGMCTA, the legal issues cited by the government pertain to University Grants Commission (UGC) grant matters applicable only to college teachers, and not to medical college faculty. The association asserted that medical college faculty members are entitled to arrears for the period from January 2016 to September 2020, and that no litigation is pending in any court that would prevent disbursement.
In a statement, the KGMCTA said the Law department had already provided legal advice confirming that there is no legal impediment to paying the salary arrears. The relevant file (HLT B2/278/2025–FIN) reportedly reached the Finance Minister on February 13. The association maintained that the government now has no justification for withholding the dues.
Doctors alleged that the government has been resorting to delaying tactics to avoid clearing the arrears. They termed as condemnable the attempt to blame doctors for the hardships faced by patients, arguing that the strike was forced upon them over legitimate demands.
The KGMCTA has announced a dharna in front of the Secretariat on Thursday and warned that if no favourable decision is taken, doctors will abstain from all medical examination-related duties from February 26 onward.