Doctors in State health service on Monday launched a State-wide indefinite non-cooperation strike demanding that public health institutions be protected.
The doctors, under the banner of Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA), launched the agitation in protest against the government move to shift specialist doctors (those with postgraduate qualifications in medical specialities) to the new medical colleges in the State by ‘deemed deputation.’
Both the Manjeri and Idukki medical colleges were launched by taking over district hospitals, and specialist doctors in these hospitals were given the option of ‘deemed deputation’ to the new medical colleges.
The government said that these doctors would get additional benefits such as teaching allowance and non-practising allowance.
Doctor's stanceKGMOA leaders said that they were not against the government starting new medical colleges but said that by converting all well-functioning institutions offering tertiary care to medical colleges, the government was only ‘destroying’ the public health system and denying neighbourhood health facilities to common man.
Shortage of drugsThey also raised other issues such as resolving shortage of medicine and other service issues.
The KGMOA said the strike would not affect patient care in any hospitals but the doctors, as part of their non-cooperation, would stay away from all additional charges, VIP duties, field work, and reporting.
Though the government had announced that dies non would be applicable if doctors went on strike, the KGMOA had decided not to react immediately to this.
Senior health officials, however, pointed out that government doctors did not stand to lose anything by opting for ‘deemed deputation’ and that even if there were specialist doctors who would opt for regular deputation to the new medical colleges, steps would be taken to fill the resultant vacancies in health services.
“Not all district hospitals are being converted to medical colleges as the KGMOA claims. The same is happening across the country after the Centre adopted the policy to convert 500 district/general hospitals to medical colleges to tackle the shortage of doctors. Some teething troubles are inevitable,” a senior official said.
