Why doctors have put their life saving vows aside and are out on road protesting?

December 28, 2021:

Some Delhi hospitals have said that it will boycott emergency services from tomorrow, December 29.
Hundreds of resident doctors from major government hospitals in Delhi have been protesting for over a month against delays in holding NEET-PG counselling.

The protest, led by the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), alleged that several doctors were detained by police force, and taken to police station premises, before being released after some time.

However, police denied doctors' allegations and said, 12 protestors were detained and released later.

It is crucial to understand why doctors are protesting, especially when Omicron cases are on surge. Let’s try to understand this in simple language.

Out of several reasons, one is prominently being discussed :

Delay in NEET counselling

Because delay in counselling, delay the admission process, and doctors already working as resident doctors are exhausted. New admissions could have lifted some burden off the shoulders of the existing resident doctors.

Why this delay in counselling?

The Central government in July 2021 announced to extend 27% OBC and 10 % EWS category reservation to all seats under the central pool (AIQ- All India Quota). The centre's decision was challenged in the Supreme Court, following which the top court ordered to postpone the counselling for NEET PG.

Now Supreme Court has asked the central government to revisit 8 lakh criteria for EWS (economically weaker section) quota.

Central govt has decided to revisit. Now next hearing is in January, next year.

“ It’s important to understand why the residents are asking for expedited counselling.

Usually, post NEET counselling, fresh (first year) residents join in August. When they join, they join as House officers who are responsible for the main ward work. It's only after they join that the second year batch are promoted to Registrars where they learn their main clinical work and how to handle patients.

For this batch, they are stuck in their first year for 1.5 years and counting.

The second nail in the coffin comes when the third years are sent for their exams and relieved from duty for exam preparation. What that does is that the second years will have to work at almost triple capacity as their seniors will be relieved soon and their juniors are not present. Hence, doing work equivalent to three residents during this time. That is the main reason that it's frustrating and seems almost impossible for the residents. They would get lesser clinical exposure and much more workload than any other batch in history...

Do also realise that post graduation in medical is possibly one of the harshest programs for a person to go through. We have a much higher prevalence of symptoms secondary to stress. ’’

- Dr. Ritwik Chatterjee, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Apart from resident doctors, students seeking admissions are frustrated too because;

NEET counselling (PG and UG) was slated to start from October but hasn't started yet.

Important point is:

Engineering counselling is going through its rounds and meritorious students who are expecting a seat in NEET as well as in engineering, are left with hard choice to make - either they choose engineering seat and wait for NEET or simply wait for NEET counselling. If they get through NEET seat, and choose to vacant the engineering seat mid way, they have to pay for it or the advanced fees taken during the time of admission will not be returned (it varies though). The vacant seat will remain vacant, then that engineering college will suffer too.

I remember when I did a story on 'why doctors are being attacked' a doctor had commented something completely out of the context then but has some relevance today,
" Not just this. We also suffer during admission time. We have been asking for a smooth process of first complete NEET counselling and then start engineering counselling, this way it is easier to make decision for the students who have applied for both. "

A little background:
Earlier Engineering and medical counselling used to happen at the same time. In recent past, mostly, engineering counselling happens first followed by medical but it is not fixed.

HOWEVER, a statement (for UG) issued by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) on December 10 hinted that the counselling may start in January next year.

Above all, the way doctors are being thrashed by police is condemnable.