Doctors in Kerala, including the teaching staff and medics at government hospitals, barring the emergency services, have struck work to press for government action on several burning issues.
The government has decided to cut the pay for doctors who participate in the strike.The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) covering all the government doctors in the state, have been pressing for a pay hike for two years. The government tried to appease the doctors by raising their allowance rather than revising the pay scales.
Doctors have intensified their protest and a hunger strike is on at all district headquarters.
Doctors are also peeved with what they call ‘unfair’ promotion policies. In the recent past a few government doctors due to retire were given extension of service, while a lot many doctors in service were denied promotions which were overdue.
A token strike will be observed on May 20th, which will completely halt all medical services, except for emergency care in the medical colleges. Even private doctors will cease work on that day.
Source-Medindia
SAV/L
