Ensure OPD, essential medical services not disrupted during doctors strike: Kerala HC directs state

Ernakulam: Amid the ongoing indefinite hunger strike and boycott of OP services, non-emergency surgeries, and academic activities by senior government doctors over their long-pending demands, the Kerala High Court on February 26 passed an interim order directing the state government to ensure that the OPD and essential medical services in the government medical colleges are not disrupted during this period.

Observing that it is the State’s responsibility to ensure that medical services at government medical colleges and hospitals are not affected, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. said,

"The State is directed to file an affidavit by the adjourned date and must ensure that the issue is resolved in the meantime. It shall also be the duty of the State to ensure that the functioning of the OPD and all essential medical colleges across the State of Kerala is not disrupted by the same strike."

The bench was considering a public interest litigation seeking a direction to the State to ensure uninterrupted functioning of Out-Patient Departments (OPD) and all essential medical services in Government Medical Colleges in view of the indefinite boycott by the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA), initiated on February 16.

Medical Dialogues had been extensively reporting on the pending and unfulfilled demands of the senior government doctors. KGMCTA decided to intensify its ongoing protest from February 16 over pending demands, including the rectification of anomalies in the pay revision order. While acknowledging that some partial positive steps have been taken, the association stated that the majority of its demands remain unresolved. The doctors launched an indefinite boycott of outpatient services, along with a suspension of academic activities after that.

Also read- Kerala Govt doctors begin indefinite OPD boycott over pending demands

The protest, which started on July 1, 2025, revolves around long-pending service-related demands. These demands include immediate disbursal of pay revision arrears pending since 2016, revision of the unscientific pension ceiling, creation of faculty posts in proportion to the rising patient load in medical colleges, and strengthening of basic infrastructure. 

Despite several rounds of talks between the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) and the State government, no concrete resolution has been reached.

Noting that medical services at several Government Medical Colleges (MCHs) have been badly affected, the Kerala High Court took up the matter after Advocate Ajeesh Kalathil Gopi brought it to the court’s attention. He informed the court that doctors have been on strike for the past 11 days, leading to serious disruption in medical services.

As per the plea, reported by Live Law, the doctors are protesting over issues such as salary revision and service conditions. The petitioner referred to newspaper reports and stated that essential services in government medical colleges, which are usually handled by senior faculty members, have been affected because of the strike.

The petitioner further argued that government medical colleges are considered State authorities under Article 12 of the Constitution. Therefore, they have a duty to provide essential medical services. Any failure to do so, the plea said, would violate Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before law and the right to life.

"That pursuant to the boycott commencing on 16.02.2026, routine outpatient consultations and specialist review duties ordinarily performed by senior faculty (Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors) have been withdrawn. Although casualty and emergency services are stated to be excluded, the absence of regular faculty participation has substantially impaired specialist supervision, delayed clinical decision-making and disrupted continuity-dependent treatment," states the plea.

Meanwhile, the counsel appearing for the state contended that she had received instructions from the liaison officer that OPD is not disrupted. She further told the Court that senior and junior residents are being deployed to conduct the OPD without any hindrance, and periodical reviews and meetings are going on with the senior doctors, who are on strike.

A significant decline in patient attendance has been reported at medical colleges, as postgraduate students alone are currently handling outpatient services amid an ongoing protest by doctors. The protest has also affected surgical services, with non-emergency procedures being boycotted for the sixth day. The impact on healthcare services and academic activities at medical colleges has become increasingly evident, leading to a drastic reduction in Outpatient (OP) and Inpatient (IP) services across Government Medical Colleges.

The protest has starkly reflected in the plummeting patient numbers across the state’s premier medical institutions. At Kozhikode Medical College, daily OP attendance has dropped from 4,000 patients to 1,200, while Trivandrum Medical College has seen a decline from 4,500 to approximately 2,500. At Alappuzha Medical College, the turnout has crashed from 4,000 to less than 1,000. This trend is mirrored across all other medical colleges, where both outpatient visits and inpatient admissions have faced a significant and widespread decline.

​Since the Medical Faculty is participating in the protest, only PG students are currently providing outpatient services. This has resulted in patients receiving only temporary care, even in cases referred by senior doctors from other hospitals. As a result, patients requiring specialised care are forced to seek treatment at private hospitals.

After the State informed the court that OPD services were not affected by the strike since junior doctors have been deployed to handle the patient load, the court directed the government to file an affidavit clarifying the situation. It also asked the State to resolve the issue before the next date of hearing.

Further, the court also reminded that the State has the duty to ensure that the OPD and essential medical services in the government medical colleges are not disrupted.

Also read- Kerala Medical College doctors' hunger strike enters 30th day, patient services disrupted