Tamil Nadu resident docs to go on strike today

Tamil Nadu resident docs to go on strike today

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.12.2021

Protesting the delay in NEET PG counselling and admissions, residents doctors at medical college hospitals in Tamil Nadu will be withdrawing from outpatient department services on Wednesday. New doctors are unable to join hospitals because of the delay in counselling. As a result, the existing batch of resident doctors are overburdened and are made to work up for 18-hour long shifts and without adequate leaves. The primary reason for the delay in NEET PG counselling is the union government's indecision over the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) seats. The counselling was originally scheduled to begin on October 25. But the government recently told the Supreme Court that it has decided to postpone the PG admission process by another four weeks as it was reconsidering the Rs.8 lakh annual income criteria for EWS quota seats.

This leaves the new batch of 4,500 resident doctors in a lurch as they will not be able to join the state's health force anytime soon. And the existing resident doctors, who are already under severe stress and fatigue in the middle of the pandemic, must continue work without adequate breaks.

These doctors, who have worked without juniors, claim to do the bulk of work in medical college hospitals. They prepare case sheets, investigate patients in wards, perform bedside duties, dressings, assist surgeries in operation theatres and ready health insurance related documents.

Soon, the final year students will also be leaving the colleges. So, the workload will fall on the single batch of PG students, said V Vignesh from TN Resident Doctors' Association. "Covid-19 has taught everybody to take doctors for granted. There is no respite for us. With inadequate sleep and fatigue, our health has taken a beating," he said.

At present, 80% of the resident doctors are in conventional treatment wards and the rest are assisting covid patients. This could change if the new variants of the virus are detected here. So, TNRDA has requested the state health department to take up the issue with the union government and stress to get the new batch of doctors on duty at the earliest possible.

Resident doctors in other Indian states have already begun the strike stressing similar demands.

The doctors, who will withdraw from outpatient services on Wednesday, are protesting against delay in NEET PG counselling, admissions