Resident doctors in several government and corporation hospitals across Maharashtra have decided to halt work in OPDs starting on Monday as part of a nationwide protest demanding that a stay on post graduate medical admissions be vacated urgently.
Doctors have been protesting over extra workload being shared by two batches of resident doctors instead of the desired three.
“At a time when the country is witnessing the rise of a new Covid-19 variant (Omicron), the least that needs to be done is strengthening the healthcare system. We need all hands on deck,” said one of the protesting doctors.
The NEET-PG 2021 exam, initially scheduled for January this year, was postponed to February and later to April. It was eventually postponed further due to rising cases of Covid-19 across the country.
The entrance test was finally conducted in September, but admissions have been stayed by the Supreme Court, which is currently hearing petitions filed by students questioning the validity of the implementation of EWS and OBC quotas.
In Mumbai, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) decided to join the protest by withdrawing from all OPD work from the first week of December, while those at Sion Hospital, MARD joined the demonstration on Monday.
“Mumbai students have another reason to protest. Recently, notices were issued to vacate the accommodation facilities provided by the MHADA/MCGM to decongest crowded hostels amid rising Covid-19 cases. We request the authorities to either let us continue staying in the allotted accommodation or find us an alternative,” said a spokesperson for Sion MARD.
