Patient care services at medical college hospitals in Kerala hit by doctors’ strike

Doctors' strike in Kerala disrupts patient care services, halting non-emergency surgeries and outpatient clinics in medical college hospitals.

Patient care services in government medical college hospitals (MCHs) across Kerala have been badly hit, as medical college doctors who have been on an indefinite boycott of outpatient clinics and teaching activities have suspended all non-emergency surgeries and procedures since Thursday.

On Thursday, the government showed no resolve to settle the doctors’ strike and said that dies non is applicable to all government employees who go on strike. However, the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association leaders said that they could not be threatened into submission and the strike will continue.

The Additional Chief Secretary (Health), in a communication addressed to the Director of Medical Education, said that it had come to the notice of the government that many doctors, after punching their attendance, were staying away from their duties and participating in the strike. He also sought the list of doctors who were taking part in the strike and the attendance registers.

However, the KGMCTA pointed out that outpatient care and surgical duties were just two of the duties performed by doctors and that even when participating in the strike, the faculty was handling inpatient care, emergencies, trauma care, emergency diagnostics and labour rooms.

With the senior doctors staying away from OP clinics since Monday, the outpatient care is being run by postgraduates and house surgeons. While they are attending to patients, critical treatment decisions that are to be taken by senior doctors are all getting postponed.

Since Wednesday, doctors have stopped giving appointments for elective surgeries and procedures. As the strike is all set to intensify, this situation is likely to derail the entire surgical calendar, leading to long waiting lists in the coming days.