Neet-PG 2021 counselling: Doctors return lab coats, hold protest march

New Delhi, Dec. 27: Intensifying their stir over the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling, scores of resident doctors in Delhi on Monday symbolically “returned their lab coats”, and took out a march in the streets. As the protest continued, patient care remained affected at three Centre-run facilities — Safdarjung, RML and Lady Hardinge hospitals — and some of the Delhi government-run hospitals.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) has been spearheading the protest for the last several days.

FORDA president Manish claimed that resident doctors of a large number of major hospitals on Monday “returned their apron (lab coat) in a symbolic gesture of rejection of services”.

“We also tried to march from the campus of the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) to Supreme Court, but soon after we had started it, security personnel did not allow us to proceed,” he said.

Manish also alleged that several doctors were “detained” by police force, and taken to police station premises, before being released after some time. He also alleged that police force was used and some of the doctors were injured.

FORDA, in its Twitter handle, also showed police personnel and protesters grappling with each other, with a police bus seen in the background. However, police denied any allegations of lathicharge or use of abusive language from their end, and said 12 protestors were detained and released later.

They said for over six to eight hours, the protestors blocked the ITO road. Repeated requests were made to them to move away from the spot, but they continued to jam the road. Later, both the carriageways of the ITO Marg were also blocked by the protestors, according to the police.

“We spoke to the association members and tried to sort out the issue, but they continued to block the roads,” a police official said.