Nurses under the banner of the United Nurses Association (UNA) intensified their long-running agitation at Jubilee Mission Medical College & Research Institute, Thrissur, on Friday (July 31, 2026) by blocking the hospital’s emergency department gate, demanding revision of wages.

The protest, which began in March, has now crossed around 120 days, with the nurses accusing the hospital management of failing to address their demands despite repeated rounds of discussions.

The protesters said they would not withdraw from the agitation until their demands were accepted. While the blockade briefly affected access to the emergency entrance, ambulances were diverted through other gates of the hospital to ensure uninterrupted emergency services.

Management’s response

However, the hospital management said it was already paying wages higher than those offered by several other hospitals and would implement the revised pay structure after the State government issued the final minimum wage notification for nurses.

It further alleged that vested interests were attempting to foment unrest at Jubilee Mission Medical College & Research Institute, one of the State’s premier medical college hospitals, to serve the interests of “commercial players” in the health-care sector.

Although the UNA subsequently withdrew its protest at Amala Institute of Medical Sciences in Thrissur following discussions, the agitation at Jubilee Mission has continued, with nurses alleging that no meaningful progress has been made in resolving the issue.

UNA president Jasmin Shah said the association would not end the protest unless justice was delivered to the nurses. He warned that the agitation would be further intensified in the coming days if the management continued to remain unresponsive. The prolonged agitation has become one of the longest labour protests by health-care workers in the State in recent years.

Published - July 31, 2026 08:08 pm IST