The medical fraternity of the Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram has decided to increase their protests as the government is showing no sign of reconciliation in the suspension of their staff-members.

The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) has called out for a two-hour out-patient (OP) boycott of duty on Monday. The services of OP will be boycotted from 8 am to 10 am at the 12 government medical college hospitals in the state.

In the meantime, KGMCTA had said in a statement that this boycott will be a token protest and it will be boycotted indefinitely from Tuesday onwards if the suspension is not cancelled. The association also said that COVID, emergency and ICU services are exempted from both these protests. The doctors who are protesting have decided to stop giving virtual classes also for several medical courses.

On Friday, all the doctors protested after the health department suspended three staff-members including a doctor who is serving as a COVID Nodal Officer and two head nurses for mistreating a patient. Seven doctors from four medical colleges resigned from the post of COVID Nodal Officer on Saturday. The state committee of the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association had submitted a representation to the health principal secretary to restore the off-duty period.

Source: The New Indian Express