Intensifying their ongoing agitation against the delay in NEET-PG 2021 counselling, the resident doctors of Delhi hospitals, on December 21, held a 'Tali, Thali and Phool Wapsi' protest outside the Ministry of Health headquarters.

In a symbolic representation, the protesting doctors returned the flowers — that were showered on them during the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic — to the Ministry.

The Resident Doctors' Associations (RDAs) across the country have been protesting against the government since November 27. The point of contention here is the fact that there have been multiple postponements of NEET-PG 2021 counselling.

It is important to note that the RDAs withdrew all emergency and routine services on December 17 over their demand for an urgent hearing in the matter which is pending before the apex court. Earlier, the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) had requested the presidents of all political parties to highlight their issues in the Parliament.

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"Around 45,000 qualified doctors, who have cleared NEET-PG 2021, are eagerly waiting to join the workforce. The current batch of resident doctors are already overworked and exhausted after dealing with the previous waves of the pandemic. With the threat of a possible third wave looming large, the situation will be disastrous for the healthcare sector with bearing on the nation's population," FORDA had said in its letter to the political parties.

Patient care has largely been affected in Delhi hospitals ever since the boycott of various medical services. The counselling for NEET- PG 2021 was delayed twice — it was first pushed from January to April, and then to September. Now the admission process has been delayed due to a dispute over the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota.