Thiruvananthapuram: Medical services at government medical colleges across Kerala are set to face major disruption as doctors launch an indefinite boycott of Outpatient Department (OPD) services from today, intensifying their long-running protest against the state government.
The agitation, led by the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA), is part of a series of protest programmes being carried out for over a year, demanding urgent government intervention on key issues including salary arrears, staff shortages, and infrastructure deficiencies.
While OPD and teaching activities will be suspended indefinitely, doctors have assured that essential and emergency services — including casualty, labour rooms, ICUs, inpatient care, emergency surgeries, and post-mortem examinations — will continue uninterrupted.
The association has further announced that non-emergency surgeries will be boycotted from February 9, followed by a boycott of university examination duties from February 11, escalating pressure on the authorities.
Doctors alleged that repeated discussions with the government have failed to yield results. Talks held with the Health Minister in November and later with the Finance Minister in January ended without any concrete decisions, they said.
The protest, which began on July 1, 2025, seeks the creation of posts proportionate to patient load, improvement of basic facilities in medical colleges, immediate disbursement of salary revision arrears, and correction of pay anomalies at entry-level positions. Earlier phases of the agitation included relay OPD boycotts and teaching boycotts.
With no resolution in sight, the latest phase of the protest is expected to significantly impact routine healthcare services in government medical colleges across the state.
