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Following a day-long boycott of healthcare services by resident doctors from several major central and state-run government hospitals in Delhi and Health Minister Mandaviya's public statement in its aftermath, the Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDAs) have decided to continue their agitation.
The agitation is against the delay in NEET-PG counselling and Monday’s police crackdown on the doctors' protest.
During the protests, representatives of the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) met Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at the Nirman Bhavan in Delhi to discuss their demands.
After the meeting, Health Minister Mandaviya had said:
Further, Mandaviya urged protesting resident doctors to call off their strike in "public interest" and added that "if there was misbehaviour from the side of the police, then I apologise."
Following Mandaviya's statement, FORDA president Dr Manish Kumar said: "The strike is still underway. We demand a written apology for police brutality during yesterday's protest of resident doctors at ITO."
He also announced that a meeting with all RDAs will be held at 8.30 pm to decide the future course of action.
After the RDAs met, FORDA secretary Dr Anuj Agarwal, told The Quint that the agitation will continue with the same intensity on Wednesday, 29 December.
He stated that the Health Minister had assured two things:
"He said they will submit the pending report before 6 January in the Supreme Court and will try to get counselling done at the earliest."
"Secondly, they condemn the action of police on doctors."
However, Dr Agarwal explained:
Further, Agarwal added that "it was only yesterday when the police beat doctors openly and snatched their phones and today instead of apologising they are filing FIRs against doctors."
So far, only Residents Doctor Association (RDA), AIIMS have called off their strike, saying that their demands have been met.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, strongly condemning the police action and asking the central government to accept the protesting doctors' demands.
Patients and their families bear the brunt of the doctors' strike, as healthcare services at Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, Lady Harding Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Ambedkar Hospital, GB Pant Hospital, GTB Hospital, Swami Dayanand Hospital, and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, remain affected.
The shutdown, called by the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), came a day after the Delhi Police had detained and manhandled resident doctors protesting in the national capital.
Speaking to The Quint, Gynaecologist Lovely Singh from Safdarjung Hospital said, "We are already short of doctors, and from March onwards, it will become more acute. What does the government think? We are machines or what? Are we not supposed to care about our own health, our own sleep or anything? We will just die working."
"More than 40,000 potential resident doctors are sitting at home, because this counselling is not being carried out. That is a huge manpower that is sitting at home. These people should be mobilised as early as possible and should get to work. This will be helpful for the healthcare system. Right now, the shortage is affecting the health system in the worst manner (sic)," Dr Prashant, a neurologist at GB Pant Hospital, told The Quint.
Meanwhile, in a show of solidarity, United Sikhs NGO showed up at Safdarjung Hospital, the site of the protest, to give out free parathas and tea to all doctors.
Pritam Singh of the United Sikhs NGO told The Quint, "We provide food, water and other basic necessities wherever there are protests. We also provide free ambulance service."
The Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS, Delhi, on Monday night, had sought a report on the government's plans to expedite NEET-PG counselling, and an apology for the police action against doctors.
In a letter addressed to Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the AIIMS RDA had warned, "If no adequate response from the government is received within 24 hours, AIIMS RDA will proceed with a token strike from 29/11/2021, including shutdown of all non-emergency services."
They added, “the RDA continues to support the cause of the protesting doctors and will act with haste in this regard if the authorities do not stick to their promise.”
Protesting against the delays in NEET-PG counselling, resident doctors' protest march towards the Supreme Court from Maulana Azad Medical College on Monday was halted near the ITO Post Office in Delhi.
The FORDA has claimed that doctors who were peacefully protesting were brutally thrashed, dragged, and detained by Delhi Police personnel, and labelled the event as a "Black day in the history of the medical fraternity".
Dr Anuj Agarwal, resident doctor of Safdarjung Hospital, told The Quint:
On Monday evening, hundreds of doctors were detained while marching towards Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's residence, and were taken to the Sarojini Nagar police station. They were released a little before midnight.
On Tuesday evening, Suman Goyal, Additional Commissioner, Central Range, said, "The doctors claimed mishandling and use of force, I'd like to clarify that no force/lathi charge was used. Delhi Police have the highest regard for doctors. Few policemen got injured, some police vehicles were also damaged."
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