NEW DELHI: Medical services in the city were hit on Thursday as doctors from major hospitals protested the National Medical Council (NMC) Bill. Doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, GTB Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College joined the protest while the OPD and emergency services in the hospitals were shut.
Hundreds of resident doctors from Safdarjung and AIIMS began their protest in the morning within the hospital premises and later marched on the streets blocking the Aurobindo Marg which led to a traffic jam. The doctors then began walking towards Parliament Street where they were stopped by the Delhi Police and a minor scuffle broke out.
“The government does not seem to be bothered about us. We are concerned about the future of doctors. But it is unfortunate that the minister and the health ministry are not even considering amending the clauses. We were left with no other choice but to protest,” Dr Harjit Bhatti from AIIMS said.
Owing to the strike, patients were forced to go from one hospital to another looking for available doctors.
The patients who came from other states faced a tough time in the early morning when they were told that OPDs were shut for the day. Parvesh Lal, who came from Jharkhand’s Deoghar to Safdarjung Hospital for treatment of his ailing mother, said he and his mother will have to spend nights without any roof over their head as they cannot afford hotels.
“We reached a day before yesterday. For two nights I had managed a shelter but now we will have to stay longer. I need to get a fresh date and arrange accommodation as my mother is unwell. I just came to know the doctors are protesting,” he added.
Late evening, the doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung and members from United RDA staged a protest outside Parliament and raised slogans. Around 83 doctors were then detained by the Delhi police and taken to Mandir Marg police station. They were released later.
AIIMS, Safdarjung and Federation of Resident Doctors Association will continue the protest on Friday. Forda’s decision will affect all state-run hospitals including RML, LNJP and GTB hospitals.
What is the NMC Bill?
The National Medical Council (NMC) Bill proposes a common final-year MBBS exam, known as National Exit Test (NEXT), for admission to post-graduate medical courses and for obtaining a license to practice medicine.