Government doctors in State staged a dharna in front of the Directorate of Health Services on Thursday to protest against a recent Government Order which required the doctors to put in an additional shift along with the night shift to make them eligible for availing of an off day at the end of the night shift.
The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) said that nearly 500 doctors took part in the dharna which lasted for over two hours.
The KGMOA also claimed that the functioning of hospitals was not affected as only one or two doctors from each hospital were required to participate in the dharna.
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However, at the General Hospital and Peroorkada District Hospital here the casualty services went on as usual, but the outpatient wings had long queues of patients waiting for the doctors. The dharna ended at 12.30 p.m.
The KGMOA said the doctors were opposing the order as it would extend a doctor’s duty time to 18 hours on night shift day, even though the Director of Health Service pointed out that a doctor needed to do the night shift only once a week.