NEW DELHI: Resident doctors protesting against the delay in NEET PG counselling are likely to call off their strike on Friday in view of the suffering of poor patients amid rising Covid-19 cases, after an assurance from Delhi Police that the FIR against them in connection with Monday’s protest would be withdrawn.
According to sources, representatives of resident doctors’ association held a meeting with senior Delhi Police officers on Thursday evening where they were assured that the FIR would be quashed.
Though the FIR did not name anyone, a case was registered under IPC sections for rioting and obstructing the work of police. Earlier on Thursday, the resident doctors held protests while maintaining social distancing and other Covid-19 norms.
The stir, which has been going on for over a month, has crippled health services at government hospitals in Delhi. The resident doctors have shunned OPD and emergency services, demanding that the counselling be conducted at the earliest so that around 40,000 doctors across the country can be allotted hospitals to practice and complete their PG course.
The protest took a violent turn on Monday when police detained around 200 doctors during a march to the Supreme Court. Doctors alleged they were manhandled by the police.
Following this, the doctors went for a complete shutdown of health services across all government hospitals and only a handful of doctors were available for treatment.
On Tuesday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met the protesting doctors and appealed to them to call off the strike. He said the government’s hands were tied since the matter was in the Supreme Court.
He assured them that the ministry would timely send the required documents to the court which is scheduled to hear the case on January 6.