Demand to Expedite NEET PG Counselling Escalates, FAIMA writes to CJI

This comes shortly after, the association had decided to launch a Twitter storm trending a hashtag #ExpediteNeetPGcounselling2021.

Taking the matter up to the Chief Justice of the Apex Court, the doctors have written in the letter how in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the junior residents have played an integral role and given its best to the country.

Also Read: Supreme Court defers NEET PG Counselling 2021 hearing, Doctors launch Twitter storm demanding expedition

Pointing out that due to the pandemic, the NEET PG examination process was also delayed from its scheduled date in April 2021 and was ultimately conducted in September 2021, FAIMA has mentioned in the letter, "As a result of this delay, not only have the NEET PG aspirants wasted nearly a year but the junior residents have also become severely burnt out. Most medical colleges across the country have been suffering from a shortage of resident doctors. As a result, residents have been working hard, day in and day out, all the while ensuring that no compromise takes place with patient care, which exacerbates their burnout. They include final year students who will be appearing for their MD/MS examinations in the upcoming months. To add insult to injury, new junior residents are unable to join."

Expressing their opinion that the ignorance by the authorities is likely to push many final year PG students into depression, the letter further added, "Tending to the concerns of the nation's frontline health workers should be the top priority of all policymakers. Delay in the counseling process is injustice to the supreme authorities towards hardworking and burnt-out resident doctors as well as to the aspiring NEET PG candidates waiting to start their specialization."

"With all due respect, on behalf of all the NEET PG aspirants who are awaiting counseling, we would like to request you to fast track the judgment on EWS-OBC reservation in All India Quota and expedite the counseling and admission process for the session 2021-2022," added the letter signed by the President of FAIMA, Dr. Rohan Krishnan.

"Furthermore, we kindly request the Supreme Court of India to urge the concerned authorities to complete the admission process by 31^st December 2021 so that all new doctors can join the workforce by the end of the year!" the letter stated.

Speaking to Medical Dialogues regarding the issue, Dr. Rohan Krishnan, the President of FAIMA said, "There has already been a delay of 8-9 months in the NEET PG admission process. Now after the Government's new reservation policy, the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. Even though the matter reached the Supreme Court in October, it is being postponed continuously. All we want is immediate judgment."

"This continuous delay will be proved costly for the new batch as well. The new students will lack the academic training period which they would have got if they would join back in May. Further, the resident doctors are already overburdened because they have to work with half the workforce. This is nothing but the result of policy failures and the delay in the legal process in India. That is why we have demanded that a fast track court should be arranged for this and the judgment should come at the earliest and the 2021 batch should at any cost join by December 31, 2021. There shouldn't be any more delays," he added.

When asked about the Twitter storm organized by FAIMA, Dr. Rohan Krishnan further mentioned, "We are getting support from all over India. The majority of the Resident Doctors' Association in India have supported our event. We have got support from Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan- you name the State and we have received their confirmation that they will be joining our Twitter storm on November 18."

NEET PG counseling for 50 percent AIQ seats was scheduled to begin from October 25, 2021. However, MCC had postponed the NEET PG counselling 2021 dates. Medical Dialogues had further reported that the Central Government had assured the top court that no NEET-PG Counselling would be held till there is a decision regarding the EWS matter.

Previously, the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) had also approached the Chief Justice of India and had requested him to expedite the counseling process. An entire academic year of the upcoming PG doctors is on the verge of getting wasted, FORDA had pointed out last month.