Union Health Minister Assures NEET-PG Counseling Will Start Before January 6, 2022: IMA President

The IMA on Friday released a statement as resident doctors in Delhi, who have been protesting over the delay in NEET PG counselling for two weeks, called off their strike.

New Delhi: Indian Medical Association (IMA) President Sahajanand Prasad Singh on Friday informed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya assured that NEET-PG counseling will start before January 6, 2022.

“There will be no FIRs on the doctors. There is no need to panic for the new variant of COVID, but all precautions should be taken,” the IMA President stated, as reported by news agency ANI.

The IMA on Friday released a statement, signed by President Sahajanand Prasad Singh, as resident doctors in Delhi, who have been protesting over the delay in NEET PG counselling for two weeks, called off their strike after receiving assurances from the government that their demands would be looked into.

“A delegation led by National President, IMA, Dr Sahajanand Prasad Singh alongwith other Office Bearers met with Hon'ble Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Shri Mansukh Mandaviya on 30th December, 2021 to resolve the issue of delayed admission into the PG Medical Courses,” the IMA statement read.

In the meeting, IMA “expressed its anguish on police action on a peaceful demand of doctors for their right cause”. It was stressed that thousands of young doctors are waiting for over a year to enter into the PG Medical Courses which were delayed due to COVID Pandemic.

IMA has also appealed to the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to “unconditionally withdraw the FIR lodged against the striking junior doctors”.

FORDA Calls Off Stir

The stir by the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) was called off at 12 noon on Friday, the federation informed in a statement.

According to news agency PTI, resident directors of three Centre-run facilities, Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, RML Hospital, and those of Maulana Azad Medical College and its attached hospitals and several other Delhi government-run hospitals had taken part in the agitation.

Their primary demand of the resident doctors, who have been boycotting services to lodge their protest, was for the NEET PG counselling process to be expedited.

In a meeting with multiple Delhi Police officials on Thursday, the federation also sought withdrawal of police cases lodged against some of their colleagues after a face-off between medics and police personnel in the streets on Monday.

As per FORDA’s statement, their representatives were assured that police complaints lodged against resident doctors “will be taken care of as per the legal procedures”.

“A virtual meeting of FORDA members with all RDAs’ representatives was convened late in the evening whereby all the proceedings were conveyed, all points of concern were discussed in details. It was unanimously decided to call off the agitation on 31st December, 2021, 12:00 pm, considering various factors, including patient care,” the statement read.

(With Agency Inputs)

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