The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) organised protest meetings across Kannur district on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) against a government order extending the working hours of doctors in government health institutions, alleging that the decision was “undemocratic and unscientific.”

The protest meeting at the District Hospital, Kannur, was inaugurated by Dr. Ajith Kumar, North Zone vice-president, while the demonstration at the General Hospital, Thalassery, was inaugurated by Dr. Jithin V.S.M., district president. Doctors held protest gatherings at major centres in the district and symbolically burnt copies of the government order.

In a statement, the KGMOA said that while major reforms in the health sector should normally be discussed with all stakeholders, the government had unilaterally issued the order increasing doctors’ duty hours and redefining their responsibilities in an unsound manner.

According to the association, doctors currently examine between 150 and 200 patients a day in many hospitals. Extending their duty hours further would adversely affect the quality of treatment and increase the risk of medical errors, it said. The association added that the proper solution is to create more posts and ensure an adequate doctor-patient ratio.

The KGMOA also criticised the decision to fix the duty hours of hospital superintendents from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., even though most offices begin functioning at 10 a.m., stating that the move would create practical difficulties in administration.

The KGMOA warned that increasing workload without strengthening manpower would weaken the public healthcare system. “The ultimate victims will not be doctors, but patients who depend on government hospitals in their most vulnerable situations,” it said.

It demanded that the government withdraw the order and ensure that consultative and evidence-based measures are adopted to safeguard the quality of treatment available to ordinary patients.