Medicos to go on indefinite strike from today

Minister says the stir is a challenge to the patients and people

Junior medical officers in government medical colleges in the State, under the banner of Kerala Medical Joint Action Council, will launch an indefinite strike from Friday in support of a horde of demands, including a review to raise the pension age of doctors.

Postgraduate doctors, senior resident doctors, and house surgeons will participate in the agitation. In anticipation of disruption of hospital services, the State government announced that it had taken steps to reduce the impact of the strike on hundreds of patients who arrive for treatment. Senior doctors who are on leave have been asked to rejoin duty urgently.

The action council has called for the strike in protest against the government move to raise the pension age of doctors. The other demands included expediting the recruitment of doctors to posts that have been lying vacant and increase the number of posts.

The Superintendent of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College said in a statement here that he got the notice for the strike only late on Thursday evening. The statement said the short notice for the strike would put the common man in a lot of difficulty as it hardly left any time for the authorities concerned to make proper alternative arrangements.

He said the heads of various departments had been instructed to take the necessary steps to ensure the doctors were re-deployed if necessary to ensure smooth services to patients.

Health Minister K.K. Shylaja characterised the strike call as a challenge to the patients and the people. She said she had held discussions with the action council leaders on Friday last and had promised to favourably consider their demands. No other development had taken place to warrant the strike call, she said while urging them to withdraw the strike call.

She also justified the decision to raise the pension age stating that it was done to ensure the smooth functioning of medical colleges and hospitals under them. She said the government would not hesitate to take strong action in the larger interests of the patients.