Kerala, the state which successfully managed to meet the pandemic challenge so far, is glaring at the COVID third wave as the healthcare system is surrounded with problems. At a crucial time like this, when the focus should be on delivering the best medical facility to deal with the Omicron surge, all health workers right from the temporary staff at the field level to professors at medical college are protesting on the streets against the governments ailing health facilities and for better pay and job conditions.

Health experts are saying that the surge will be felt by the end of January and many patients are likely to be treated at home and the peripheral health centres. But, the doctors under the Directorate of Health Services are planning to boycott emergency services and COVID duties en masse on January 18, as a warning to the health department for ignoring their demands. The doctors under the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) staged a protest march on Tuesday against the government for ignoring their protests.

Dr T N Suresh, the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) secretary said the doctors who fought against the pandemic for the last two years were deeply dejected and anguished. Even the doctors who risked their lives were ridiculed by slashing their salaries and robbing service benefits. He further added that the doctors would hold rallies across the state to explain how they have been dragged into the protest. COVID affected the complete medical education and the focus shifted to pandemic management. The faculty members of medical college hospitals complained of pay anomalies, while the resident doctors complained of low payment and being overburdened because of delay in NEET-PG counselling.

Around 20,000 temporary staff were needed for increased testing, maintaining details of persons infected and their contacts, monitoring people in-home care properly and enhancing the healthcare facilities in hospitals. But, even the brigade members also protested against the government for not clearing their salary dues and for retrenchments.

Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) president Dr Nirmal Bhaskar said with the surge in Omicron cases, the government would again put the whole responsibility on the medical education department. But every administrator should remember that medical colleges were also meant for teaching, training, research and tertiary-level patient care which won’t be available in peripheral hospitals. The doctors in medical college hospitals also cautioned against further stretching the resources in the wake of the Omicron surge.

Source: The New Indian Express