Thiruvananthapuram | The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) here on Monday witnessed protests by the Youth Congress activists over the reported suspension of surgeries due to shortage of medical equipment.

The protesters barged into a multi-storey building housing the director's office and raised slogans against the institute management.

They alleged mismanagement by the institute authorities and demanded their resignation, sources said.

Although police personnel tried to stop them, some of the Youth Congress activists managed to enter the building and stage demonstration.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Suresh Gopi, after holding a meeting with the officials, assured that the situation would be resolved and normalcy restored within a week.

He downplayed the severity of the issue, saying it was not as serious as portrayed by the media, and could have been resolved much earlier through proper dialogue.

In response to a query from reporters as to how the issue of lack of surgical equipment would be resolved, he said the Centre has clear rules and policies for the procurement of medical equipment.

Everything would be done in accordance with the rules and policies without fail, he said.

"The existing rules cannot be violated. Otherwise, it will become a matter of corruption. So, the resolution should be corruption-free." The new agreement for procuring medical equipment would be signed soon, and everything would be normalised within one week without causing further difficulties to the patients, he added.