Nurses’ strike continues to affect private hospitals in Kerala

As the indefinite strike by nurses affiliated with the United Nurses Association (UNA) entered its second day on Tuesday (March 10, 2026), private hospitals in Kerala are facing an unenviable situation. Functioning of key departments in some of the major institutions in districts such as Kozhikode has been severely affected and the patients are left in the lurch.

According to sources, many hospitals are now refusing to admit patients citing lack of required nursing staff. Services in departments such as emergency care, critical care, and neonatal care have been hit. Efforts to shift the patients to government hospitals appeared to have failed. Doctors are expressing their helplessness and are trying to manage the situation. Surgeries other than those in the emergency category are being postponed.

The UNA had been conducting agitations seeking a better pay package and other benefits for the past few weeks. They resorted to a strike on March 4, with main demand to have a basic pay of ₹40,000. Though the State government issued a draft notification revising their basic pay structure thereafter, the UNA began its indefinite strike on March 9 claiming that some of the managements are not willing to implement the new salary structure. On Tuesday as well, the UNA members staged a ‘dharna’ outside the Kozhikode collectorate.

However, the hospital managements are reportedly devising their own plans to tide over the crisis. Addressing the media, Kerala Private Hospital Association president Hussain Koya Thangal said that the strike was illegal as the UNA had not served 14 days prior notice before launching the protest. He alleged that the UNA had been trying for a wage hike while playing with the lives of patients. Mr. Thangal also urged the State government to invoke provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act against the striking nurses. If the unauthorised absence of the nursing staff continued to paralyse the services of hospitals, the respective institutions would take appropriate action against them, he added.

However, functionaries of the UNA, such as its national president Jasminsha, told the media that it was the managements that were playing with the lives of the hapless patients. He claimed that of the 490-odd private hospitals in the State, a majority had come to an understanding with the UNA over the revised pay structure. Only around 100, including some major corporate-run hospitals, were not ready to sign an agreement. He also alleged that the managements were appointing nurses on a daily salary of ₹2,000 to deal with the strike. The UNA was only asking a daily salary of around ₹1,300, Mr. Jasminsha said.