Kozhikode: Medical services at the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH), Ernakulam, are expected to be partially disrupted on Thursday as doctors join the State-wide one-day strike called by the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA).

Doctors across all government medical colleges in Kerala will participate in the protest on November 13, alleging continued apathy by the State government toward long-pending demands.

These include implementation of the revised salary package, correction of salary anomalies at the entry-level, creation of faculty posts for newly established medical colleges, filling existing vacancies, and upgrading infrastructure for both patients and medical staff.

Despite the strike, emergency services—such as casualty, trauma care, and emergency surgeries—will remain uninterrupted, association representatives assured.

In Ernakulam, however, the impact is expected to be less severe compared to other medical colleges.

According to Dr Indira CK, president of the KGMCTA Ernakulam chapter, services will only be partially affected because a section of faculty under the Co-operative Academy of Professional Education (CAPE) will continue regular duty.

“Emergency care will function normally. Only routine services will see partial disruption,” she said. The protest will take place in front of the administrative block of the hospital.

Doctors at GMCH Ernakulam have been staging a series of protests over the past several weeks. They began with weekly token strikes and a non-cooperation campaign in October, followed by a relay strike that shifted by a day each week. The Ernakulam unit of the association has 55 members.

KGMCTA has warned that if the government continues to ignore their demands, the work-to-rule protest will resume and the agitation will be intensified after the local body elections.