3 months ago
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The indefinite onslaught by aesculapian assemblage doctors entered the 3rd time connected Wednesday, with the agitation acceptable to intensify further. From Thursday, the doctors volition enactment distant from each elective surgical procedures, escalating their protestation implicit unresolved wage revision arrears.
Emergency surgeries and procedures, labour rooms, intensive attraction units (ICUs), post-mortem services, and exigency laboratory diagnostics person been exempted from the boycott. However, the suspension of elective surgeries is expected to severely disrupt diligent care, starring to a backlog of cases and prolonged waiting periods for surgeries astatine aesculapian assemblage hospitals (MCHs) successful the coming days.
Outpatient (OP) clinics successful the MCHs are astatine contiguous being managed by elder and inferior residents, on with location surgeons, successful the lack of elder module members. Patient attraction has been affected, arsenic aesculapian trainees are incapable to instrumentality autarkic attraction decisions.
The doctors, who person been connected a non-cooperation onslaught since July 1, decided to intensify their protestation aft respective rounds of discussions with the authorities failed to resoluteness their wage revision demands.
On Wednesday, remarks made by Health Minister Veena George — stating that doctors should person avoided the “unnecessary” OP boycott and the hardships caused to the nationalist — triggered wide resentment wrong the aesculapian fraternity. The Minister’s connection that doctors proceeded with the onslaught contempt the Finance Minister’s clarification regarding ineligible obstacles successful disbursing wage revision arrears has been contested by the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA).
According to the KGMCTA, the pending ineligible issues cited by the authorities subordinate to University Grants Commission (UGC) assistance matters applicable lone to assemblage teachers. UGC grants bash not use to aesculapian assemblage faculty.
The relation asserted that aesculapian assemblage module members are entitled to arrears for the play from January 2016 to September 2020, and that determination is nary litigation pending successful immoderate tribunal nor immoderate ineligible impediment preventing the disbursement of these arrears.
In a statement, the KGMCTA said the Law section had already provided ineligible proposal confirming that nary litigation oregon ineligible obstacle exists to artifact the outgo of wage arrears to aesculapian assemblage doctors. The applicable record (HLT B2/278/2025–FIN) reportedly reached the Finance Minister connected February 13, and the relation maintained that the authorities present has nary justification for withholding the arrears.
Doctors alleged that the authorities has been resorting to stonewalling tactics to hold the outgo of wage revision arrears. The continued nonaccomplishment to instrumentality a determination contempt receiving favourable ineligible proposal reflects indifference towards doctors, the relation said. It besides termed arsenic condemnable the effort to blasted doctors for hardships faced by patients, arguing that the onslaught was forced upon them implicit morganatic demands.
The KGMCTA announced a dharna successful beforehand of the Secretariat connected Thursday. The relation further warned that if nary favourable determination is taken, doctors volition abstain from each aesculapian examination-related duties from February 26 onward.
