KOZHIKODE: A protest is brewing in the medical fraternity around the State with the recent Government order asking Government doctors to work for 17 hours at a stretch due to a staff crunch.
The members of the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) have demanded revocation of the ‘black law’ that compels a doctor on night duty to work for 17 hours without a break.
Talking about the concerns faced by hundreds of doctors all over the State, KGMOA State member Dr KC Rameshan said, “The reason given by the State Health ministry to put additional burden of five hours upon doctors working at various Government hospitals here is staff crunch, which the KGMOA has been demanding be solved as soon as possible. Our health department knows that various Government hospitals have shortage of manpower but no action has been taken yet to resolve the issue.”
While this was the case, the recent Government order to night duty doctors to work for another five hours during the morning, thereby putting additional burden on them, was unfair, he pointed out.
A majority of the population in the State prefer Government hospitals, he said and added that if the government did not provide adequate employees, the quality of treatment and the trust on Government institutions would be questioned by the public, he added.
Various government hospitals in the State especially in major cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode, are struggling to provide treatment to hundreds of patients because of the acute shortage of doctors.
