Overview
- Nurses affiliated with the United Nurses Association began an indefinite strike on March 9 and from March 10 said they would abstain from all duties, including emergencies.
- Patient care at private hospitals in Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Kochi was curtailed with inpatient services strained and non-urgent surgeries postponed.
- UNA reported that hundreds of hospitals have accepted the Rs 40,000 demand — counts vary from 343 of 490 to 422 — and said action was suspended at those facilities.
- The Kerala Private Hospitals Association called the action illegal for lack of a 14-day notice, cited court directives keeping critical units open, and some managements sought ESMA which UNA says courts did not grant.
- The state government’s March 7 draft set lower minimums of Rs 25,450–30,880 with a two-month window for objections, creating a parallel route to revise pay.