Under the banner of the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) resident doctors across India have gone on a nationwide strike from Saturday demanding the expeditious counselling of the NEET PG-2021 as well as the admission process.
On Friday, the FORDA, in a letter to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, said the "already over-burdened and exhausted" resident doctors of the nation fighting at the frontline since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, waited patiently till November 25 for some positive outcome of the ongoing Supreme Court proceedings over NEET-PG 2021 counselling.
"However, there seems to be no respite to their physical and mental distress with the next court hearing scheduled on January 6, 2022."
"To mark our protest against these repeated delays and postponements of counselling, following discussion with representatives of multiple Resident Doctors Associations (RDA) across the nation, we have decided to withdraw from Out Patient Department (OPD) services, Saturday, November 27 onwards," FORDA said.
They urged the Union Government and the Supreme Court of India to take note of the grievance of resident doctors of the nation and to take necessary measures for expediting the NEET-PG 2021 counselling as well as admission process and to fast-track the court proceedings on an urgent basis.?
Admission to various courses in NEET PG 2021 has been delayed indefinitely following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our first year PG students are seeing seven months delay already and the next date of hearing by the Supreme Court is on January 6. We know that no verdict will arrive on January 6. Students are facing year loss. They can modify reservation policy from next session," FORDA President, Dr Manish, said.
"Moreover the resident doctors working here are overburdened. They work for 80 hours and in such a situation how can you expect quality care?"
The Supreme Court was informed by the Centre that the counselling for the NEET PG medical courses "would be postponed by four weeks" as for reservations in admissions it was 8 lakh annual income criteria for determining the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.
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