Postgraduate medicos across the State will go on a 24-hour strike on November 8, boycotting all hospital services including emergency services, in protest against the government’s continued neglect of their demand for a hike in stipend.
In a statement here on Thursday, the Kerala Medical Postgraduates’ Association said they had conducted a token stroke on September 29, drawing the government’s attention to their demand for a hike in stipend, slashing the university fee and ensuring that the committee headed by the Health Secretary to look into all issues raised by the medicos was functioning efficiently.
Despite the promises since 2019 to hike stipend, the government has done nothing to fulfill this promise. Also, the university has hiked the fee again, even though the last fee hike was effected in 2021.
The KMPGA pointed out that the committee that had been set up under the Health Secretary in the wake of the murder of medical student Vandana Das to look into all issues faced by medicos, such as acute shortage of hostel facilities, senior residency issues and issues of hospital security, has not been functioning properly.
The government has failed to provide accommodation to more than two-thirds of the PG medicos, mostly women, which is against the guidelines of the National Medical Commission, it said.
The functioning of government medical college hospitals across the State may be affected on November 8, as house surgeons are also likely to join the strike.
