The Thiruvananthapuram district chapter of Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA), which had earlier threatened to abstain from providing round-the-clock medical care at the State School Arts Festival 2024 which began in the capital on Saturday (January 4, 2024), has withdrawn their non-cooperation following talks with the State government.

In a statement here, KGMOA district leaders said that the doctors had decided to cooperate with the government regarding the arts festival duty following the assurances given by the Health Secretary that the association’s concerns and demands would be addressed.

On January 2, in a letter to the District Medical Officer, the KGMOA said government doctors would stay away from festival duty to protest the “unfair” suspension of one of their colleagues attached to the Aryanad Community Health Centre.

KGMOA said the government had suspended the doctor based on a dubious and unfounded media report that he did private medical practice, contravening government service rules. The KGMOA accused the government of penalising the doctor without giving him a fair hearing and sans a proper enquiry.

With as many as 10,000 students, accompanied by their parents and teachers, participating in various events at 25 venues across Thiruvananthapuram for the next four days, the announcement by KGMOA that government doctors tasked with providing emergency medical care at the Kerala Schools’ arts festival venues will abstain from their duties, had created some consternation amongst the organisers.

The government had set up emergency medical centres at the venues, each headed by a doctor supported by nurses and paramedics. And KGMOA’s boycott came at a time when the GCDA authorities in Kochi were facing intense public criticism for not having a medical team on standby during the Guinness Book of Records event during which Congress legislator Uma Thomas sustained a near-fatal fall.

Earlier, the Director of Health Services, K.J. Reena told The Hindu she had not received any communique indicating that government doctors would not cooperate with the festival.

“I have not received any letter from the doctors about non-cooperation. However, all arrangements are in place in all venues, and district and State teams are to conduct inspections at all festival venues to ensure that medical facilities are being provided”, Dr. Reena said.