Kozhikode: Doctors call off strike at Government Medical College Hospital

Kozhikode: Junior doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital (KMCH) have withdrawn their strike plan after the air conditioners at the casualty wing started functioning.

The PG medical students and house surgeons association had called for a strike on Saturday. They decided to shift the consulting counter at the triage to the open car porch area as a mark of protest.

“The authorities have responded to the issue hence we called off the strike. The air conditioners were not functioning for the last six months. All the ventilators were closed after the installation of AC. We were like under the blazing sun inside the casualty,” said Dr Nidheesh N.G., a house surgeon.

Six air conditioners installed two years back functioned only for a couple of months. Already, the casualty wing is operating in cramped space, and due to the soaring heat without AC, there were instances of doctors and nurses collapsing due to dehydration.

The heat had invited the wrath of the junior doctors and PG students who are mostly deputed here. Medicine, ortho and surgery wings are functioning in a short space here.

“It was the laxity on the part of the PWD department. The technical aspects were neglected while installing the system,” said principal Dr V.R. Rajendran.
He said a permanent solution to plug all the technical loopholes would be in place by next month.