Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) has decided to go ahead with a complete strike on November 13 after its talks with Health Minister Veena George on Monday failed to yield results.

Although the Health Minister assured the immediate release of arrears related to the 2016 pay revision following consultations with the Finance Department, the KGMCTA representatives said a verbal assurance was insufficient. They demanded a formally recorded meeting with the Finance Minister and a written commitment on their demands.

The association said the strike decision followed the state government’s continued neglect of their long-standing issues. Outpatient (OP) services, elective surgeries, and teaching classes will be fully suspended across all government medical colleges on November 13 as part of the fourth relay OP boycott day, it added.

The KGMCTA’s key demands are as follows: Correction of anomalies in compensation, immediate disbursal of arrears from the 2016 pay revision, creation of required posts before establishing new medical colleges, urgent filling of existing vacancies, and improvement of infrastructure facilities for both doctors and patients.

Since July 1, the KGMCTA has been staging a relay boycott of OP duties, protesting the government’s inaction on pay revision delays and the acute shortage of teaching staff in medical colleges.

The association noted that despite their OP boycott on October 28, the government neither held discussions nor took corrective action. It warned that the agitation could escalate into an indefinite strike if the government’s indifference continued.

Only essential services—including casualty, emergency and ICU care, labour rooms, emergency operation theatres, in-patient treatment, and post-mortem services—will continue during the strike.

The KGMCTA said earlier phases of protest were planned to minimise inconvenience to patients but added that the government’s apathy had left them with no alternative. The association said the state would have to bear full responsibility for any public hardship resulting from its inaction.