NEET PG Counselling Delay: Protesting doctors to boycott all services

NEW DELHI: Intensifying the protest called by the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) over the delay in NEET PG 2021 counselling, resident doctors of the Centre-run RML, Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge hospitals in Delhi boycotted all routine services on Friday. The Resident Doctors' Association at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital has warned the administration that its members will withdraw from emergency services if no concrete step is taken by the stakeholders to ensure immediate completion of NEET PG counselling.

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"Due to insensitive response of governing bodies responsible for the delay in NEET PG, 2021, counselling, we are compelled to boycott all routine services at RML HOSPITAL (OPDs, special clinics, IPDs, Elective OTS) from December 3 till the time our genuine grievances are not fulfilled," the RDA said. "All emergency services in the hospital will run as usual. However, if no concrete steps are taken by the stakeholders to ensure immediate completion of NEET PG Counseling, 2021, we will be forced to take the extreme and harsh decision of shutting down the emergency services as well and complete responsibility will be on administration," it said.

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The RML Resident Doctors' Association said the decision was taken in consensus with the national and state RDAs. An action plan will be decided after meeting with them, it said. With the possibility of an imminent Covid wave, the counselling process must be started at the earliest to prevent the collapse of the health care system, the RDA said, "We request all stakeholders and administrative authorities to ensure that the process of induction of new doctors is completed at the earliest." Resident doctors of the three Centre-run hospitals in the national capital had withdrawn from rendering OPD services from November 27 to November 29 as a mark of protest against the delay in NEET PG 2021 counselling. The Safdarjung Hospital RDA, in an intimation to the medical superintendent, said there have been repeated delays in conducting NEET PG 2021 counselling despite multiple reminders and communications with the ministry and authorities concerned.

"As the third wave of Covid is imminent, we wish to reiterate that we are grossly understaffed as the PG residents of the 2021 batch have not yet joined," it said. The resident doctors are exhausted and on the verge of a breakdown. Still, they have been patiently waiting and working with resilience for patient's care, the association said. "As the withdrawal of OPD services didn't bring any concrete response from the authorities, we are pained to inform that we shall withdraw all our routine services from December 3 in support of the nationwide protest called by FORDA. "We will continue the emergency services.

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However, the onus of any unfortunate situation affecting the healthcare will be on the concerned authorities," the RDA said. A similar intimation letter was sent by the RDA at Lady Hardinge Hospital to the facility's director informing withdrawal from all routine services from Friday. "We will continue emergency services. However, the onus of any such unfortunate situation affecting healthcare services will be on the authorities concerned," it said.