Kerala’s ‘model’ healthcare under strain as medical teachers step up protest

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 12 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Kerala’s much-celebrated public healthcare system is facing one of its gravest crises, with government medical college teachers warning that systemic neglect could push the sector towards collapse.

The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA) on Monday said the state’s medical education and tertiary care framework is being steadily weakened by staff shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and policy paralysis.

In a strongly worded statement, the association noted that medical colleges form the apex of India’s three-tier healthcare structure, providing advanced treatment, training specialists, and conducting research.

“The strength of the entire public health system depends on the quality of these institutions,” the KGMCTA said, cautioning that continued neglect would undermine Kerala’s health security.

Despite the government’s claim of raising the number of medical colleges to 14, the association argued that most lack even basic secondary-care facilities, while only a few have full-fledged tertiary care and speciality services.

This shortfall, it said, has forced patients to increasingly depend on private hospitals, driving up out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.

Official data, the KGMCTA pointed out, places Kerala among the states where patients spend the most from their own pockets for treatment.

The crisis is compounded by severe faculty shortages.

According to the association, 375 teaching posts, including professors, associate professors, and assistant professors, remain vacant across government medical colleges.

New colleges in Kasaragod, Wayanad, Konni, and Idukki are operating with acute deficits in manpower and infrastructure.

Doctors are often compelled to examine 300 to 400 patients a day, raising serious safety concerns.

The KGMCTA alleged that instead of addressing root causes, authorities resort to suspending doctors when errors occur under extreme workload conditions.

Recruitment delays due to prolonged court cases and the failure to implement promised pay revisions and allowances have further demoralised faculty.

The association said assurances given by the Health Minister during talks on November 10, 2025, have not translated into action.

As a result, the KGMCTA has announced an escalation of its agitation, including indefinite boycotts of outpatient services and non-emergency procedures in phases from January 13.

However, it stressed that emergency care, ICUs, inpatient services, emergency surgeries, and post-mortem examinations will continue uninterrupted.

“This is not merely a doctors’ protest, but a struggle to protect the right of ordinary citizens to affordable, quality healthcare,” the association said, urging public support while seeking their patience for temporary inconveniences.

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