Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday 26 January 2011: Normal operations in almost all the five Medical College was seriously affected as the strike by Kerala Medical Postgraduates Association (KMPGA) entered the second day today.

Surgery operations at the Thrissur and Kozhikode medical colleges stands canceled today, owing to the strike. Senior resident doctors has also joined the strike, making matters more complicated.

The PG resident doctors began strike from Tuesday, raising various issues. Emergency services in all the five medical colleges got disrupted due to the strike. Government is yet to intervene to find a solution to the strike.

Javed Anees, State convener of the association, said it had submitted a comprehensive list of proposals before an approved committee of the government to improve the residency system, which the authorities had promised to act upon within a timeframe. “But the government has miserably failed to keep its words,” he said.

Their demands included revoking the recently hiked fee structure, providing accommodation facility for all the resident doctors on the medical college campus, providing 24-hours laboratory facilities, ensuring necessary medicines in operation theatres and sanctioning the recently stalled festival allowance.

Dr. Javed said the authorities had promised to favourably consider all their demands during a discussion with KMPA representatives following a token strike in December, 2010. “However, nothing happened even weeks after the deadline,” he said.