PG resident doctors stage demonstration over delay in NEET counselling

Resident doctors across Tamil Nadu staged demonstrations in their respective colleges and will hold stage a hunger strike tomorrow.

Every year, the NEET PG exam will be conducted in January and counselling will be done by March. Doctors will join in April – May, now due to Covid, the exam got postponed to September. Even after the declaration of results in October, counselling has not yet begun due to a pending Supreme Court case, in which the next hearing is scheduled for January 6, 2022.

“As there is a lack of one-third doctors since May 2021, we are planning to run things smoothly with the remaining physicians working beyond their capacity to provide uninterrupted services to patients. However, it seems that there is no rest for their chronic physical and mental stress, as we are working at least 18 hours every day. Within three months, even the senior PG doctors will leave as they are having exams, in such case we have to manage everything alone,” Dr. V Vignesh, Vice president of Stanley Resident Doctors Association (SRDA) and member of Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association.

Doctors said that they have crossed the physical and mental limit, and they are fearful that would end up as patients if this situation continues, because of the one-third of staff. Even the new batch is suffering as they have lost an entire academic year due to this pending case.

“From the first wave we are working, and also doing work which is allotted for the first year PG doctors. Even if there is a third wave in the coming months, we are the one who is in charge of it. Already, we are very exhausted mentally and physically, and eventually, it will impact the patients too. Also, even our studies are impacted due to the shortage of staff in the hospital wards. We feel that the government is using us like a bonded labour,” said another PG resident doctor.

The PG service and non-service doctors across the nation are planning to go on hunger strike, and urge the government to conduct the NEET PG counselling at the earliest.