Medical care at several Central government hospitals, including the AIIMS, Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, was hit on August 1 as resident doctors went on a strike, withdrawing services, including emergency, to protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, which will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha.
The doctors held a protest march in the hospital and are now marching towards Parliament. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is scheduled to speak to the press later in the day and, in the morning before the presentation of the Bill in Upper House, said he was hopeful of the seeing the Bill being cleared without any hurdle.
AIIMS and Safdarjung Resident Doctors in a statement issued said: “Today is the day of eye opening for arrogant Health Minister who is ignoring the voice of medicos. We are on road and marching towards Parliament. Thousands of students from other medical colleges of Delhi and Haryana are joining us in this march. This Parliament and its majority government is made by us, they just can’t ignore our grievances. If they won’t come to us, then we will go to Parliament but we won’t accept this draconian anti-people, anti-poor NMC bill.”
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Intensifying its protests against the NMC Bill, the resident doctors have threatened to proceed on indefinite strike from Thursday. Also, some other hospitals in Delhi have also given notices to the respective administrations regarding the strike.
The new Bill has the provision for making national standards in medical education uniform by proposing that the final-year MBBS exam be treated as an entrance test for PG and a screening test for students who graduate in medicine from foreign countries. This exam will be called the National Exit Test (NEXT). The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday amid an ongoing protest from the medical fraternity across the country.