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Kerala doctors’ strike threat triggers panic

Hundreds of patients have been evicted from government hospitals across Kerala in view of an indefinite strike by doctors from Thursday.

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hundreds of patients have been evicted from government hospitals across Kerala in view of an indefinite strike by doctors from Thursday. The medical practitioners demanding a better pay package are turning down emergency cases, while patients in need of follow-up treatment are being referred to the already-crowded medical college hospitals.

The patients’ trauma continued on Tuesday even as office-bearers of the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) expressed hope of a settlement after another round of talks with health secretary Viswas Mehta. The association’s state committee meeting in Kozhikode on Sunday had decided to strike work till the government decided to shell out Rs20 crore as allowance.

“We went to the discussion table hoping to reach a compromise. A final decision on the strike will be reached tomorrow after another round of talks with the government,” KGMOA president Manoj Narayanan said after meeting the health secretary and other officers. Opposition leader Oommen Chandy had met CM VS Achuthanandan regarding the strike.

Government hospitals across the state have been turning down patients since May 15, when the docs went on a token strike. The health department retaliated by transferring 44 striking doctors. This infuriated the association which defied threats of invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act and decided to strike work indefinitely.

s_don@dnaindia.net

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