Doctors of the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association have launched an indefinite strike, beginning with an OP services boycott from Monday, citing unpaid arrears, pay anomalies, staff shortages, and safety concerns, while emergency services continue.
The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA), representing faculty across the state’s 12 government medical colleges, announced an indefinite strike beginning February 2, 2026, escalating a year-long agitation that began on July 1, 2025.
From Monday, the association ordered a complete boycott of outpatient (OP) services – a move expected to significantly disrupt non-emergency patient care in major public hospitals including Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kannur.
Hospital authorities emphasised that emergency functions – casualty, labour room, intensive care units (ICUs), emergency surgeries and post-mortem examinations – will continue, and the public has been urged to seek care only for life-threatening cases amid service disruption.
Doctors have also announced that from February 9, all elective surgeries and non-emergency treatments will be suspended indefinitely, and from February 11, they will boycott university examination duties, which could affect medical education timelines and postgraduate assessments.
KGMCTA leaders have said that repeated assurances from the government – including meetings with Health Minister Veena George in November 2025 and later with both the Health and Finance Ministers in January 2026 – failed to yield meaningful action.
A government order issued on January 18 proposing only a nominal, non-retrospective allowance was rejected as insufficient and unacceptable by the association.
Long-standing grievances and impact on healthcare delivery
The protest reflects growing frustration among senior medical faculty over unpaid salary and dearness allowance arrears, pay anomalies at entry-level cadres, delay in career advancement promotions under National Medical Commission (NMC) norms, a shortage of doctors due to non-creation of sanctioned posts, inadequate clinical infrastructure and workplace safety concerns.
Historically, KGMCTA has staged escalating actions through the latter half of 2025 – including work-to-rule, non-cooperation movements, teaching boycotts, relay satyagrahas, and repeated OPD boycotts on scheduled dates to highlight their grievances. In late October and November 2025, statewide OPD boycotts disrupted outpatient care, and academic sessions were impacted.
Earlier protest rounds saw junior doctors and postgraduate residents ensuring emergency services despite senior faculty withdrawals; however, attendees and patient groups noted that the absence of senior specialists adversely affected consultation quality even on those earlier strike days.
KGMCTA officials argue that salary disparities affecting doctors recruited after 2016 have demoralised faculty and that rotating existing staff to newly established colleges – instead of creating permanent posts – has worsened shortages, undermining both medical education and patient care.
Government response and broader reactions
Despite repeated protests and prior negotiations, the Kerala state government has so far issued only broad statements of intent without addressing the core structural demands of the doctors. In the January 2026 meeting with ministers, officials offered a modest one-time allowance without restoring arrears or correcting fundamental pay anomalies – a point of contention for KGMCTA.
Government health officials have maintained that emergency services will not be compromised, but have not provided detailed plans for maintaining continuity in non-emergency care and surgeries once the suspension begins on February 9.
Public health experts warn that prolonged disruption of scheduled surgeries and outpatient services risks overwhelming private facilities, increasing costs for patients and worsening access to essential care for poorer communities.
Medical student associations, postgraduate groups, parents-teachers associations and college unions have expressed solidarity with the strike, underscoring shared concerns about workforce shortages and working conditions.
The Logical Indian’s perspective
The ongoing strike by medical college teachers in Kerala highlights a complex intersection of labour rights, public healthcare delivery and governance.
The concerns raised by the doctors – including delayed pay, staffing shortages, career stagnation and infrastructure gaps – are legitimate and must be taken seriously by public authorities. High-quality healthcare cannot be sustained without addressing systemic issues that affect the morale and livelihoods of those who deliver it.
At the same time, the escalation of industrial action in the healthcare sector has profound implications for patients – especially those who depend on government hospitals for affordable care.
While emergency services are being maintained, the suspension of non-emergency surgeries and outpatient care will inevitably strain patients’ access to routine and critical services, potentially exacerbating health inequities.
The need of the hour is empathetic, sustained dialogue between the government and healthcare professionals, with clear, time-bound commitments to resolve pay anomalies, ensure adequate staffing, upgrade infrastructure and strengthen workplace safety.
