Tue Mar 18 15:18:18 UTC 2025: **Kozhikode Medical Students Stage Indefinite Strike Over Stipend Delay**
KOZHIKODE, March 18, 2025 – Around 700 postgraduate medical students at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday, disrupting outpatient services and ward operations. The strike, organized by the Calicut chapter of the Kerala Medical Post Graduates Association (KMPGA), protests the delayed disbursement of their February stipends.
While emergency services remain operational, the KMPGA warns that these too may be impacted if the issue is not resolved. The students claim this delay is unique to Kozhikode; their colleagues in other medical colleges have received their stipends on time. The stipend is typically released before the 10th of each month.
The KMPGA met with Finance Minister K.N. Venugopal on March 15th and held discussions with hospital authorities. A token strike was held on March 16th, but the issue remains unresolved. The students’ union and the Kozhikode branch of the Indian Medical Association are supporting the strike, with some undergraduate students also boycotting classes.
The strike affects approximately 3,000 patients who seek daily treatment at the hospital. The KMPGA highlights that postgraduate doctors are crucial to the hospital’s functioning. The situation underscores wider concerns within the Kerala health sector, as doctors under the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association also held protest meetings against the Director of Health Services.
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