Delhi: Resident docs to boycott routine, emergency services; protest march by Lady Hardinge RDA


PTI | New Delhi | Updated: 08-12-2021 15:49 IST | Created: 08-12-2021 15:49 IST
Delhi: Resident docs to boycott routine, emergency services; protest march by Lady Hardinge RDA
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Resident doctors of Delhi government-run Maulana Azad Medical College will boycott all routine and emergency services from Thursday as part of a nationwide stir over delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling, while the protest at three Centre-run hospitals here entered the third day on Wednesday.

Members of the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital took out a march on the streets near the campus on Wednesday as part of the protest. Scores of doctors, holding placards and raising slogans marched near Connaught Place.

Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital campus is located nearby.

Resident doctors of the Centre-run Ram Manohar Lohia, Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge Hospitals continued with their boycott of all routine and emergency services for the third consecutive day, affecting patient care.

Vice-president of the RDA at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) Dr Akash Yadav, on Wednesday said that members of the association will boycott from Thursday morning all services ''except at ICU and Covid wards''.

Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, GB Pant Hospital and Guru Nanak Eye Centre are attached with MAMC. LNJP is the biggest facility in the city run by the Delhi government and is the nerve centre of its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement issued late night on Tuesday, the MAMC RDA said, ''Even after the boycott by many institutions of Delhi, we continued to run emergency services. But apathy of government and plight of overburdened residents have brought us to do total boycott of all services including OPD, OT, Ward and Emergency services from 09/12/21 (Thursday)''.

''Functioning of ICU and Covid wards will not be affected to safeguard the interests of critically ill patients,'' it said. This is in response to the nationwide call for strike by all state RDAs and the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA). A prior intimation of closing emergency services has already been given in previous letters, the statement said.

The resident doctors, including all regular and ad hoc senior residents, postgraduate students, non-academic junior residents and interns of MAMC and its associated hospitals, will boycott all routine and emergency services, it said.

Dr Yadav said it is apparent that the threat of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is looming large. ''But, why the onus has been put only us doctors, why shouldn't the government resolve this issue,'' he posed.

''Resident doctors are the backbone of the health system of this country and their interests must be safeguarded at all times. We apologise for the inconveniences caused to our patients but we have been forced to take this extreme step due to the gross inaction and neglect of higher authorities. We hope for a swift resolution of residents' concern,'' the statement noted.

FORDA president Dr Manish had on Tuesday evening said if their demands are not met the resident doctors will hold a protest march to the Union Health Ministry's office at Nirman Bhawan here.

''We are going to hold a meeting of representatives from resident doctors' associations (RDAs) across the country on Wednesday afternoon and then decide accordingly,'' he said.

Sharing a video clip of Sansad TV, FORDA tweeted in the evening: ''Thankful to Hon'ble Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury sir (Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha) for raising the issue of nationwide agitation of Resident Doctors in Parliament. We hope for an early resolution of the issue.'' In the tweet, FORDA put the hashtag 'expedite NEET-PG counselling 2021' and tagged the Twitter handles of the Prime Minister's Office, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the Health Ministry.

FORDA president, in a late-night update on a social media platform, claimed that he had a ''telephonic conversation'' with some health ministry officials on Tuesday night.

''Since there has been no concrete measure taken by the authorities concerned yet for expediting NEET-PG counselling, as assured yesterday, our agitation in the form of withdrawal from all services, will continue. The strike will continue,'' he wrote.

AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) on Tuesday had said its members will wear black ribbons at work to support the cause of the overburdened resident doctors of the country and against the delay in NEET-PG counselling.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to ensure that post-graduate admissions are done on a war footing.

The Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital administration on Monday had issued a circular saying that all residents doctors appointed on ad hoc ''cannot indulge themselves nor participate in any strike activity''.

''Non-observance of the rules attracts disciplinary action as deemed fit, including termination. This issue with the approval of Medical Superintendent,'' the circular had warned.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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