Resident doctors of several Delhi hospitals to boycott all services from Monday over counselling delay

The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association said they would withdraw from all services, routine as well emergency, in healthcare institutions from December 6 to intensify their stir.

Resident doctors of a number of central and state-run hospitals across Delhi will boycott routine and emergency services from Monday in protest against the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling.

File image of doctors and medical staff attending to a family of Covid patients in a Delhi hospital. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) released a statement saying the doctors were exhausted and overburdened by the repeated delays and postponements of the counselling process. To intensify their protest, they would withdraw from all services, routine as well emergency, in healthcare institutions from December 6.

"Following the discussion with various RDA representatives of Delhi, we have decided to escalate our agitation further and withdraw from all services (routine as well as emergency) in healthcare institutions from December 6," said the press release.

Earlier in the day, resident doctors of Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital announced their decision to boycott emergency and OPD services from December 6 due to "repeated delay in NEET PG Counselling 2021".

The doctors are demanding the completion of the counselling process in view of the looming third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The doctors say it is necessary for the process to start immediately to "prevent the collapse of the healthcare system".

(With inputs from agencies)