Kerala medical college teachers suspend OPD boycott after Govt promises action
Thiruvananthapuram: Disappointed over the neglect of its long-pending demands, including pay revision and the disbursement of salary and Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears, the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers' Association (KGMCTA), which had begun a boycott of outpatient services on Monday, has decided to suspend its strike for a week after the government has sought time to review their pending demands.
However, after the government decided to issue an order regarding entry cadre anomaly correction, the association has decided to withdraw its strike temporarily. The association was supposed to boycott OPD work. But now the association has decided to resume work, taking into consideration the government’s positive attitude towards their demands.
In a recent press release, KGMCTA stated, “Today, the meeting with Additional Chief Secretary Finance and Additional Chief Secretary Health in the presence of Director of Medical Education ended with a positive note. The order regarding entry cadre anomaly correction will be issued tomorrow itself, incorporating our demands. Regarding the pay revision arrears, Govt has asked for one week's time for a legal opinion due to ongoing legal hassles. The increase in duration of promotion, pension ceiling, and post creation will be done in a time-bound manner.”
“Considering the positive approach from the Government, the KGMCTA central executive committee held at 9.30 pm today has decided to temporarily withdraw the ongoing indefinite OP boycott and Academic boycott. Hunger strike, non-cooperation, and work to rule will continue till further decisions,” the association added.
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.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that KGMCTA, which had earlier deferred its indefinite strike after assurances from the Health and Finance Ministers, had expressed deep disappointment over the government’s failure to keep its promises. In response, the association announced an indefinite strike from February 2 by boycotting OPD services. Since January 22, doctors have boycotted teaching activities in all government medical colleges. On the same day, dharnas (sit-in protests) were to be held at government medical colleges and in front of the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) office in Thiruvananthapuram. However, after assurances of the order regarding the entry cadre anomaly correction were promised, the strike was called off.
