Nurses Protest Mass Layoffs at Kottayam Medical College, Warn of Strike

Kottayam: Nurses at Kottayam Medical College have launched a protest against the alleged mass dismissal of staff. They allege that temporary employees and trainees are being removed from service.

The medical college hospital currently has 1,032 nursing staff, of whom only 440 are permanent employees. The hospital previously had around 92 trainees, but the number has now dropped to 52. The nurses said all the remaining trainees had been dismissed.

They added that repeated complaints to the authorities had failed to elicit any action. The mass reduction in staff has also increased the workload of those remaining. Despite the addition of a new ICU and an eight-storey surgical block, the hospital continues to operate with its existing workforce, further increasing the burden on nurses. Employees said they are being forced to work overtime.

The demand is to increase the number of nurses to more than 2,000. The nurses will hold a protest march on Thursday. They warned that they would launch a strike if the authorities continued to ignore their demands.