THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The doctors under the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) and medical students are on an agitation course pressing for various demands.
Protesting against the attacks on doctors in Kozhikode and a nurse of a Public Health Centre (PHC) in Malappuram, the doctors boycotted OP duties on Friday for an hour across the state.
“The doctors boycotted OP service from 9 am to 10 am. We are not going for further agitation as the culprits have been booked under the Hospital Protection Act,” said KGMOA state president V Madhu.
“It is unfortunate the doctors have to agitate to force the authorities to register a case,” KGMOA general secretary A K Raoof said. The IMA observed ‘black day’ on Friday. IMA state secretary N Sulphi said all its members worked on Friday wearing black badges as a mark of solidarity to the doctors and health workers who were attacked.
Health Minister K K Shylaja said strict action will be taken against all the accused in the attack of the nurse at the PHC during the MR vaccine drive. Three culprits have been arrested, the others will be taken into custody at the earliest, she said. “The state achieved 90 per cent in the MR vaccination drive because of the collective effort of the health workers,” Shylaja said. Meanwhile, medical students staged a protest at all the government medical colleges against the governments decision to hike the retirement age of doctors in the health service and medical colleges.