Resident doctors call for nationwide protest over delay in NEET-PG counselling, to suspend OPD services from Nov 27

As a mark of protest, the resident doctors' body has decided to suspend OPD services at hospitals across the country.

The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) have called for a nationwide suspension of out-patient department (OPD) services at hospitals starting Saturday, November 27, as a mark of protest against the alleged delay in conducting NEET-PG 2021 counselling.

In many hospitals, resident doctors are suspending out-patient department (OPD) services from today as a mark of protest. (Representational image/PTI)

Resident doctors at hospitals like Ram Manohar Lohia, Lady Hardinge and some other hospitals in Delhi have joined the protest and announced to withdraw OPD services from November 27.

In a letter to Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the resident doctors' group said that they have been "already over-burdened and exhausted" fighting at the frontline since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and waited patiently till November 25 for some positive outcome on the Supreme Court proceedings over NEET-PG 2021 counselling.

“However, there seems to be no respite to their physical and mental distress,” FORDA stated. 

The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the counselling for NEET post-graduate medical courses will be further postponed by four weeks while it revisits ₹8 lakh annual income criteria for determining the EWS category for reservation in the admissions..

The resident doctors have urged the Centre and the apex court to take note of their grievances and take necessary measures to fast-track the court proceedings on an urgent basis, expedite the NEET-PG 2021 counselling as well as the admission process for medical courses.