This is not the first time that doctors in government hospitals have chosen the strike path. The government will intervene and reach a compromise when the hospitals come to a standstill. The strike has been going on for three days in front of the Secretariat, led by the Kerala Government Medical Officers. The strike has been raging for 10 months, which is also against inaccuracies in the pay reform. At various stages, there was a perception that a compromise had been reached. But it is clear from this struggle that no consensus has been reached on the fundamental issues.

While doctors in the health department are staging a sit-in, junior doctors in government medical colleges have boycotted duty en masse and started an open strike. The functioning of medical colleges, including the emergency department, has been disrupted. There are core issues behind the direct struggle of PG doctors. Stipend increase is one of them. The complaint is that the admission to the new PG batch is indefinite and they have to look after the duty continuously for days. Having to work without rest for four or five days is a severe punishment. It has been six months since the results of the All India PG Entrance Examination were released. The current junior doctors are worried that admission has not yet taken place. The services of PGs are indispensable for the functioning of medical colleges. Many are frustrated with not being able to go for higher education. They will be released from the existing hospitals only after the PG admission at the national level is based on the NEET result. The reason for the extension of medical PG admission is that the petition regarding the ceiling related to reservation is pending before the Supreme Court. The petition is being considered from time to time but the verdict is delayed. In some other states, also junior doctors have gone on strike. There are also those who have approached the High Court against the delay in the admission process. Unfortunately, the petition could not be settled quickly. Over the years, many petitions related to medical admissions have reached the final decision of the Supreme Court. When the verdict is long, it is the children who work hard, giving up sleep. All categories of admissions are based on a unified examination to make medical admissions transparent and clean. Still, the court has to step in to remove the barriers to entry. There is no permanent solution to the fee structure of self-financing medical colleges. The fee structure had to be revised several times. Those who have qualified in the PG entrance examination are now awaiting the mercy of the court. Talented young doctors work hard for months to pass the PG entrance exam. If the issue raised in the petition is a serious legal issue, the judgment in that case could be applied to next year's admission. Delaying this year’s admission indefinitely could have been avoided. Whatever the name of the problem, the disruption of government hospitals will adversely affect the common man.