NEET-PG counselling: Resident doctors go on strike again after demand not fulfilled

Following the health ministry's assurance that the court hearing will be expedited and the counselling process will be accelerated, resident doctors announced on December 9 that the agitation, called by the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), would be suspended for a week. FORDA, on the other hand, wrote to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday, telling him that it was resuming the strike.

"The hardship of overworked and fatigued resident doctors appears to have gone unnoticed by authorities, who appear unconcerned about the scarcity of healthcare workers caused by the non-admission of new resident doctors," said FORDA in its letter.

"With the threat of the third wave of COVID-19 looming large, the best the authorities could have done was to expedite the counselling and subsequent admission process - instead, there is inaction and lack of urgency in the matter.  Hence, as informed earlier, resident doctors are left with no choice but to go for withdrawal from all services (routine as well as emergency) in healthcare institutions, 17th December 2021 onwards. The onus of this unfortunate situation affecting healthcare services is on the authorities," FORDA's letter read.

Resident doctors resume strike 

The Resident Doctors' Association of Safdarjung Hospital said in a letter on Wednesday that they had been waiting patiently since the agitation was put on hold. "However, the ministry has taken no action in the last week, in stark contrast to its bogus pledges and misleading guarantees," the letter stated.

"With the looming threat of COVID 19's third wave, it is clear from the authorities' lackadaisical and uneducated attitude that healthcare, the hardship of overworked doctors, and the suffering of poor patients are of no concern to them at all," the letter added.

The authorities responsible, according to Dr Sunil Duchania, RDA president at Lady Hardinge Medical College, do not appear concerned about the shortage of healthcare workers.

"The academic year of 45,000 NEET PG aspirants is almost wasted due to irresponsible behaviour, with the added ripple effect of a shortage of resident doctors to combat the impending third wave of COVID-19 in all hospitals across the country," said Dr Anuj Aggarwal, general secretary of the Safdarjung RDA.

(with inputs from ANI)

Image: PTI