Delhi doctors to continue protests over NEET counselling, call for shutdown

Delhi doctors held a protest march was held near Safdarjung Hospital on Monday evening during which the police said that seven personnel were injured near ITO.

A doctors association of government-run hospitals in Delhi said on Tuesday it will continue to protest against the delay in NEET-PG counselling until their demands are met even as they called for a complete shutdown of all healthcare institutions.

Delhi doctors from various hospitals shout slogans during a protest over the delay in NEET-PG counselling.  (ANI Photo)

“We were detained at Sarojini Nagar police station. After discussion, we have decided to continue our protest from Safdarjung Hospital until our demands are met… Considering night curfew, we returned to Safdarjung. We will continue our protest from there,” Dr Kul Saurabh Kaushik, the general secretary of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Doctors held a protest march was held near Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Monday evening during which the police said that seven personnel were injured near ITO.

The Delhi Police registered a first information report (FIR) under section 188 and other sections for causing obstruction in the duty of police personnel, and damaging public property.

"There will be a complete shutdown of all Healthcare Institutions today onwards. We strongly condemn this brutality and demand immediate release of FORDA Representatives and Resident doctors," the association said in a statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, AIIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA) has called for a strike on December 29 including the shutdown of all non-emergency services if no "adequate" response from the government is received over alleged police brutality in the protest march.

The AIIMS RDA has demanded immediate release of detained doctors with an apology from the government and the police over alleged police brutality in the protest march.

“We strongly condemn this brutality of the police and the insensitivity of the government towards the medical fraternity and demands immediate release of all the detained doctors, with an apology from the government and the police,” AIIMS RDA wrote to Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday.

The association also demanded the government to release a report of what has been done so far and its future plans for expediting NEET PG counselling.

Also watch | Scores of Delhi resident doctors hit streets, face-off with police over NEET-PG 2021 counselling

"If no adequate response from the government is received within 24 hrs, AIIMS RDA shall proceed with a token strike on December 29 including the shutdown of all non-emergency services," the statement read.

“RDA, AIIMS does not believe in hampering of patient care services and hopes that the government will address the grievances in an appropriate and timely manner, and shall not force us to escalate the protest further," it added.

It said the day will be "remembered as a black day for the medical fraternity."

Before this, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 24 to resolve the NEET-PG counselling crisis.

The NEET PG exam scheduled in January 2021 was postponed in view of the first and second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and was later held on September 12.