Kerala medical college doctors defer OP, surgery boycott after talks with government
Key demands include the disbursal of salary arrears since 2016, the creation of additional doctor posts to manage patient load, and improvements to treatment facilities.
Key demands include the disbursal of salary arrears since 2016, the creation of additional doctor posts to manage patient load, and improvements to treatment facilities.
Key demands include the disbursal of salary arrears since 2016, the creation of additional doctor posts to manage patient load, and improvements to treatment facilities.
Thiruvananthapuram: The government medical college doctors in Kerala on Wednesday decided to temporarily defer its planned agitation- including the indefinite boycott of outpatient services and surgeries- that was scheduled to begin on March 12, after hopeful talks with the Kerala government.
The decision was taken by the state committee of the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) in view of the positive outcome of talks held with the state government regarding the demands raised by government medical college doctors.
Among the key demands raised by the doctors are the disbursal of salary arrears pending since 2016, the creation of additional doctor posts in line with the growing patient load, and the improvement of treatment facilities in government medical colleges to enhance patient care.
The association said the strike has been postponed in the hope that the government will soon issue a favourable order addressing the demands. If such an order is not issued, a new date for resuming the agitation will be announced later, it added.
KGMCTA held discussions with the state Finance Minister and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department. The association said the decision to temporarily suspend the agitation, which could have affected patient care and medical education, was taken to create a conducive atmosphere for further discussions and also in consideration of the inconvenience that patients and students might face.
On March 4, the association suspended their strike for one week following written assurances from the state government. The association has been protesting since July 1, 2025. The doctors had launched an OP boycott on February 2 and were called for talks by the government. They then called off further strikes following government assurances on their demands. However, alleging that the government had gone back on its promise, the association later began an indefinite strike from February 16, boycotting OP services and academic activities.