Kerala's government medical college teachers (KGMCTA) will begin an indefinite boycott of teaching and non-emergency services from Jan 13. The protest is over the govt's failure to address demands like pay revision and DA arrears.
KGMCTA Announces Indefinite Boycott
Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA) will commence an indefinite boycott of teaching, and from the following week, all non-emergency medical services will also be boycotted from January 13. Secretariat dharna will also be conducted on January 19th. Essential health services, including Casualty, Labour Room, ICU, In-patient care, other emergency treatments including surgeries, and post-mortem examinations, will be excluded from the protest programmes, KGMCTA said in a press release.
Dispute Over Long-Pending Demands
KGMCTA has been on protest since July 1, 2025 alleging failure of the government authorities to honour the assurances given over the years on various long-pending demands--including rectification of anomalies in the pay revision order, disbursement of salary and Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears, avoidance of temporary and mass transfers, and creation of adequate faculty posts, sufficient facilities for faculty and patients, KGMCTA said in a press release.
Agitation Escalates After Unresolved Talks
As no remedial measures were taken by the authorities, the agitation was intensified, leading to overt protest programmes including relay OP boycotts. In this context, a meeting was convened on November 10, 2025, under the leadership of the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, the release said.
At the meeting, assurances were given that sincere efforts would be made to implement the genuine demands of the Association. However, none of the issues raised by KGMCTA have been resolved favourably, it alleged.
In this situation, the Association has no option but to further intensify the agitation. No constructive initiative has been taken by the Government to resolve the issues amicably. Therefore, while continuing the work-to-rule agitation and non-cooperation, KGMCTA has decided to intensify the protest.
To brief the public regarding the issues faced by doctors in the Government sector and to explain the details of the protest programmes, a press conference will be held at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club on Monday, January 12, it said. (ANI)
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