Talks fail, KGMCTA to go ahead with strike on November 13

The talks between representatives of the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) and Health Minister Veena George on Monday remained inconclusive.

With the Health department reaching no concrete decision regarding the main and long-standing demands of the KGMCTA and in the absence of a favourable response from the Finance department towards any of the issues raised by doctors, the association has decided to go ahead with strike it had announced on November 13.

The total strike is likely to disrupt all patient care services, except emergency services, in medical college hospitals across the State.

KGMCTA representatives had held discussions with the Health Minister, along with the Additional Chief Secretary (Health) and the Director of Medical Education and Joint Director of Medical Education.

The anomaly in pay revision at the entry cadre of Assistant Professors was a major issue and as long as it remained unresolved, young doctors would not join the Medical Education Service. This was adversely affecting the functioning of all medical colleges, the KGMCTA pointed out.

They also pointed out that it was unfair that when all government employees were provided all four instalments of their pay revision arrears, the medical college hospital doctors, who had tirelessly worked during COVID-19 to save hundreds of lives, were being denied pay revision arrears, which were pending since 2016.

Doctors also pointed out that the order issued on November 10 sanctioning just 44 new posts (22 Professors and 22 Associate Professors) for Kasaragod and Wayanad medical colleges is grossly inadequate. No new posts of Assistant Professors have been created, which is going to seriously affect not just medical education but patient care activities in all medical college hospitals.

Ms. George could not give a decision on any of the issues to the KGMCTA because the Finance department had the final say in all matters.

The KGMCTA thus requested that a meeting be convened with the Finance Minister as the chair. However, no time-bound assurance of such a joint meeting was given.

The KGMCTA protested against the Finance department’s persistent indifference towards the legitimate demands of doctors and said that it would go ahead with the strike.