Protesting doctors put strike on hold for a week

NEW DELHI: The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) on Thursday, December 9, 2021, suspended its indefinite strike demanding NEET PG counselling for a week. In a statement, the association said the decision has been taken in view of the developments over the issue in the last few days and the death of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and others in a copter crash on Wednesday.

FORDA has decided to put the agitation on hold for one week after holding discussions with representatives of state RDAs on Thursday, it said.“We express our sincere gratitude to all resident doctors of the nation who came forward and joined the agitation. We are resuming all services with immediate effect. In case the issue is not addressed by December 16, 2021, we will be forced to call for a complete shutdown of all services except Covid areas in healthcare institutions,” the statement said.

While FORDA president Dr Manish claimed all RDAs have aligned with its decision, Dr Akash Yadav, vice-president of resident doctors association of Delhi government-run Maulana Azad Medical College, said, “MAMC RDA is yet to take any decision on it”.

In a statement issued late on Tuesday night, 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 Thursday”.

“Functioning of ICU and Covid wards will not be affected to safeguard the critically ill patients,” it had said. Meanwhile, the general secretary of RDA of Safdarjung Hospital, Dr Anuj Aggarwal, said they supported the decision of FORDA for putting on hold the protest.  

(With agency inputs)