Kerala medical colleges OP services hit as senior doctors protest staff shortages

NEW DELHI: Senior doctors in government medical colleges in Kerala boycotted outpatient (OP) services on Monday while the services of junior post graduates and resident doctors were available, sources said. The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA) announced the boycott as part of intensifying their protest to raise various long-pending demands including salary revision and creation of new posts. "I didn't know about the strike. I come from a far away place," an elderly woman, who arrived at the Government Medical College here, said.

Dr Rosnara Beegum T, state president, KGMCTA, said the OP boycott was complete and all the members of their association across the state took part in the boycott. Without affecting emergency services, ICUs, or operation theatres, all OPs--including those in super-specialty departments--were boycotted as the first step of the intensified protest, she said adding that academic classes were also suspended. While talking to reporters here, she said the shortage of doctors is a serious concern in government medical colleges in the state.

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Minimum clinical staff positions vacant

Even if it is for OP service or IP (in-patient) care duty, there has been an acute shortage of doctors, she said. Even minimum staffs for providing clinical care in Idukki and Konni medical colleges are not available, the doctor further said. Though the Association has been raising the demand for long, no concrete action or solution has been initiated by the government, KGMCTA later said in a statement.

This continued apathy has pushed the medical education sector into a deep crisis, demoralised government doctors, and posed a serious threat to public healthcare, it alleged. Anomalies in entry-level salary, lack of incentives in service, denial of due arrears, pension reforms and so on are some of the issues raised by the doctors' association.