Kerala: Government Doctors Protest

The government doctors of Kerala, led by the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA), have boycotted all additional duties. They are protesting against the government's alleged lack of concern for healthcare workers and failure to implement any of the proposals put forward by the association to support health workers who have been working tirelessly for the past nine months.

According to one of the press releases by the association, the demands of the association include:

• Addressing the shortage of human resources immediately.
• Restoring leaves which were reasonably received after continuous COVID duty.
• Establishing a block basis call center comprising of retired doctors and private doctors to provide treatment to those under home supervision.
• Prompting disbursement of deferred salary.
• Reinstatement of leave surrender benefit and assurance that health workers will no longer have salary deferment.
• Providing risk allowance and incentive to health workers who are overworked in hazardous conditions.

The association further added that having to provide 24-hour service by just one or two doctors can adversely affect the health of the staff as well as patient care. The doctors who administer treatments are literally mentally and physically exhausted. This overwork is a major factor in the hundreds of health workers who become ill every day, including doctors.

The association alleged that instead of recruiting new doctors, the government is pressurizing the doctors to work more and is not considering the plight of healthcare workers who are overworked and fatigued. It found that it is unfortunate that instead of providing psychological support to employees, including doctors, there may be measures that discourage them.

While strongly protesting against the same, the KGMOA State Committee stated, "This violates all the limits of denial of justice."

The Association confirmed that the protest will be done in a way so that it will not affect patient care and COVID-19 care.

Also Read: Pay cut announced for Doctors in Kerala amid COVID-19 outbreak: KGMOA writes to CM citing the decision as cruel.

As a part of the protest, they have started boycotting all Non-COVID training webinars and Zoom sessions, training of NQAS and Adam, and other related activities. All members have initiated an exit from all official WhatsApp groups and all post-duty Zoom meetings. If their demands are not fulfilled, they will resort to direct protest.

Dr. Vijaykrishnan, the General Secretary of the KGMOA, stated, "Many of the healthcare workers are being compelled to work 24 hours continuously; in spite of that, the government is not allowing them the normal leave which they truly deserve." Calling this behavior unacceptable, the doctor further added, "The association is asking to deploy additional human resources in COVID-19 care activities as we are being overburdened with work. In spite of that, the government has not taken any step for redressal; instead, they have assigned many of the doctor duties in the areas of Sabarimala pilgrimage, which will be extensively populated from the coming month."

After working as front liners and serving their duties diligently, the alleged behavior of the government has disappointed the doctors.