Junior doctors boycott OPD services, stage protest at Hyderabad hospital over NEET PG counselling delay

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], December 2 (ANI): Junior doctors at Gandhi hospital in Hyderabad staged a protest on Wednesday while boycotting the Out patient Department demanding that the Centre immediately start counselling of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Post Graduate (NEET PG) 2021, claiming that they were overburdened with work.
A junior doctor at the Gandhi hospital, Manikiran Reddy said, “If our requirements are not fulfilled by December 4, we are going to boycott elective services as well.”
Junior doctors or resident doctors across the country have been agitating over the increased workload since the start of this year due to the delay in finishing the admissions process for a fresh batch because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want the NEET counselling to begin as soon as possible. We don’t have juniors and for the past six months, we are working with very less strength and are overloaded with patients. A new wave of COVID-19 is coming and it will be difficult for us to handle both COVID cases and non-COVID cases,” Reddy said.
“According to 1992 supreme judgement, the reservation quota should not exceed more than 50 per cent, but here the quotas including SC, ST, BC and EWS are exceeding 50 per cent reservation. The court has posted to hear the matter on January 6, 2022,” he added.
“We will wait for some days and even boycott elective surgeries in the hospital,” Reddy warned.
Earlier on Saturday, Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) observed a nationwide strike demanding the expeditious counselling of the NEET PG-2021 as well as the admission process. FORDA had also demanded fast-tracking of court proceedings on an urgent basis.
A meeting of state-level RDA representatives with FORDA was held on Saturday at 5 pm. A letter of intimation was given to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya regarding withdrawal from OPD services in healthcare institutions from November 27 onwards.
Admission to various courses in NEET PG 2021 has been delayed indefinitely following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Central government last week told Supreme Court that it has taken a considered decision to revisit the limit of Rs 8 lakh annual income fixed for determining the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category for reservation in NEET admissions for postgraduate medical courses.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for Centre sought four weeks time from a Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, saying a committee will be constituted to determine the criteria for EWS. He told the Bench that National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) PG counselling shall remain postponed until the determination.
“In the matter, I have instruction to say that the government has decided to revisit the criteria. We will formulate a committee and take a fresh decision within four weeks. Till then the counselling shall remain stayed only. I give my assurance,” Solicitor General told the Bench.
The Bench recorded the submission of the Solicitor General and posted the matter for hearing on January 6, 2022. (ANI)