Services at major private hospitals in Kozhikode were affected on Monday (March 9) as members of the United Nurses Association (UNA) began an indefinite strike seeking better pay and other benefits.
Leaders of the Kerala Private Hospital Association, meanwhile, urged the district administration to make arrangements to shift patients to government hospitals if the strike continues in the coming days. The nurses have demanded a minimum basic monthly pay of ₹40,000. Though the State government recently revised their pay structure, the UNA claims that certain hospital managements were not willing to implement their demands.
The UNA had been conducting protests and staying away from work for the past few weeks across the State. Though a section of hospitals have come to an understanding with the association, some others in districts such as Kozhikode are yet to do so. With a majority of the nursing staff not joining for duty on Monday, the functioning of almost all private hospitals in the district was disrupted.
The situation turned grave at healthcare institutions such as the city-based Baby Memorial Hospital (BMH) when a section of the nursing staff staged a protest outside the hospital in the morning, claiming that the UNA functionaries were threatened and abused by the management representatives. UNA district functionary Jishnu Ashok told The Hindu that some of the recently joined nursing staff were locked up inside rooms and forced to join duty. Later, the striking nurses staged a dharna outside the district collectorate. Minister for Public Works and Tourism P.A. Mohamed Riyas, who was passing by the collectorate premises on his way to open the widened Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road, was booed by some of the protesters.
The UNA functionaries also claimed that the strike was complete in other city hospitals such as Iqraa International Hospital, Aster MIMS Hospital, Meitra Hospital, Fathima Hospital, Malabar Hospitals, and Red Crescent Hospital, Feroke, and Santhi Hospital, Omassery. According to sources, some of the hospitals are depending on auxiliary nursing staff to manage the situation, as critical procedures such as major surgeries scheduled for the day cannot be postponed.
Later, the UNA members staged another round of protest outside the BMH, alleging that two nursing staff on contract were abruptly terminated from service. Activists of the BJP also staged a demonstration there. It is learnt that the termination of the staff nurses has been kept on hold for the time being. Mr. Ashok said that the protests would continue in the coming days until their demands are met.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has demanded that the government take steps to solve the crisis. M.K. Raghavan, Kozhikode MP, wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to seek intervention in the issue.
Protests in Kannur
In Kannur district, protests by private hospital nurses continued on Monday. More than 400 nurses staged a protest in front of Baby Memorial Hospital in Kannur.
Sibin Joseph, president of UNA’s Kannur unit, said around 400 nurses were taking part in the protest at BMH and warned that the agitation would continue until their demands were addressed. He said the hospital management was willing to hold a discussion only with the union leadership and was seeking a consensus, which the protesters found unacceptable.
Mr. Joseph said the management should instead hold talks with the committee representing the nurses and take steps to implement the long-pending demands.
Meanwhile, the management of Aster MIMS Hospital, Kannur, has agreed to hold discussion with the nurses.
(with input from Kannur Bureau)
Published - March 09, 2026 01:19 pm IST
