Kerala medicos indefinite stir hits patient care in medical college hospitals
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Patient care services were badly hit in Government medical college hospitals in Kerala following the indefinite strike by medicos from Friday in support of their demands.
While the doctors carried out emergency services partially, out patient, inpatient services, labour room, intensive care, elective surgeries were badly affected by the strike. However, the striking doctors exempted Covid -19 duties from the agitation.
The main demand raised by the PG doctors is the appointment of non-academic junior residents doctors. The government has issued an order appointing 373
Non-academic junior resident doctors in medical College hospitals to reduce the work load of medicos.
Health Minister Veena George slammed the junior doctors for going on indefinite strike at a time when the state is fighting against Covid-19 pandemic. While issuing a warning to enforce the Epidemic Disease Act against the agitating doctors, she alleged that a section of medicos was deliberately trying to create obstacles in Covid treatment activities in hospitals.
She said the government was not in a position to settle the demand regarding advancing of first year PG admission as the matter was pending before the Supreme Court.
The medical college principals have directed the PG medicos to vacate the hostels in view of their indefinite strike.
Meanwhile, the organisation of senior doctors of medical colleges; Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) has urged the state government to take immediate steps to resolve the strike of junior doctors which has badly affected the patient care services in medical college hospitals.
The association reiterated its demand for implementing the pay revision order which was issued last year, removal of anomalies in the entry cadre and reconsider the decison to redeploy the doctors from the existing medical colleges to the newly opened Idukki and Konni medical colleges.
