Healthcare services were affected across Kerala as doctors of state-run hospitals boycotted work for two hours on Monday and those in private facilities participated in a 24-hour nationwide strike being observed in support of protests by the medical fraternity in West Bengal.
Long queues near outpatient departments (OPDs) were seen in several government hospitals across the state. Some patients said they didn't know about the strike and have been waiting for hours.
"We left our homes at 3 am and do not know if the doctors will attend on us," a patient at the government hospital here said.
A woman said she had come with her relative suffering from breathing problems early this morning and no doctors had attended her till 10 am.
Another patient said she arrived at the hospital around 5 am to meet her doctor with her blood test reports. "If I can't meet the doctor today, I will have to get the tests done again," she said.
IMA State Secretary Dr Sulphi N said, "While in government hospitals, doctors boycotted OPDs from 8 am to 10 am, the strike was total in the nearly 1,000 private hospitals and clinics in the state, as doctors are participating in the 24-hour strike and attending only emergency cases."
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