At one end of Jantar Mantar, protesters on Wednesday raised slogans. At the other, volunteer doctors sat beside ambulances, treating a steady flow of people with swollen limbs, cuts, fever and dehydration before sending them back into the crowd.
NEW DELHI — At one end of Jantar Mantar, protesters on Wednesday raised slogans. At the other, volunteer doctors sat beside ambulances, treating a steady flow of people with swollen limbs, cuts, fever and dehydration before sending them back into the crowd.
Amid chants and speeches from the protest stage, healthcare professionals from Delhi and neighbouring states have been running makeshift medical assistance points, owing to what they described as a sense of duty.
Some moved through the crowd with backpacks stocked with medicines, bandages and oral rehydration salts, while others waited inside ambulances stationed near the protest venue, ready to respond if someone fainted or complained of breathlessness.
Among them are volunteers from the Five Rivers Heart Association, an NGO associated with US-based doctor Swaiman Singh, whose teams provided medical assistance also during the 2021 farmers' protest.
Amritpal Singh, a volunteer with the organisation, said the team decided to reach Jantar Mantar along with an ambulance after seeing videos and accounts of injuries during Monday's clashes.
"The NEET examination is the baseline for every doctor in this country. The quality of medical education affects every citizen because every patient eventually places their life in a doctor's hands. As doctors ourselves, we understand what these students are fighting for and why this matters," he said.
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"A team of about 50 doctors -- including cardiologists, dermatologists, orthopaedics and general surgeons -- is serving in Delhi, along with nursing staff, pharmacists and many more volunteers on rotation for the humanitarian cause," president and founder Dr Swaiman Singh told PTI.
Volunteer Amritpal said they first reached the protest site on the day of the march and have remained there since, attending to protesters with cuts, bruises, swollen limbs, dehydration, fever and breathing difficulties.
"Many people are still coming with injuries from the march. Others have developed fever after remaining outdoors in the monsoon. Some experience breathlessness because of exhaustion. We are trying to treat whoever comes to us," Singh said.
He said many protesters were reluctant to visit hospitals. "Some are from outside Delhi and don't know where to go. Some simply don't want to leave the protest site. So we provide whatever immediate medical care we can here and advise them if they need hospital treatment," he said.
A doctor volunteering at the site, who requested anonymity, said she arrived with an ambulance after watching videos of Monday's protest.
"When I saw the videos, I felt I had to come. We brought medicines, ORS, emergency supplies and whatever equipment we could arrange. Even today, people are coming with swollen legs, cuts and injuries from the march. There are also many cases of fever because people have been spending long hours in the rain," she said.
She said volunteers remained prepared for emergencies throughout the day.
"We keep checking on people who look unwell. If someone feels dizzy or develops breathing problems, we immediately attend to them or guide them to an ambulance. The idea is that nobody should feel they are alone if they need medical help," she said.
The doctors have become a familiar sight around the protest venue, checking blood pressure, cleaning wounds, handing out medicines and distributing ORS sachets to people waiting under tarpaulin sheets or umbrellas.
Harshit, a protester from Uttar Pradesh, said the presence of doctors gave many protesters confidence to remain at the site.
"When we came here, we knew there could be difficulties after what happened during the march. Many doctors can be seen around with regular first aid and medicines in their pockets, giving people a sense of security. It feels like someone is looking out for us while we continue demanding accountability," he said.
He further added that the protest had even more doctors until the day of the march."Even the doctors were beaten up by the police. Since then the number of doctors decreased," he said.
Twenty-one-year-old Shiv from Rajouri Garden said his own experiences made the issue deeply personal.
"I lost my father when I was eight years old because of medical negligence. I know what it means when healthcare fails someone. A strong education system matters because it produces the people we trust with our lives," he said.
A doctor volunteering at the site said supporting the protesters was also about safeguarding public trust in medical education.
"As doctors, we understand that the quality and credibility of medical education have consequences far beyond the classroom. Every patient places their trust in a doctor. If students are demanding accountability in the system that trains and selects future doctors, that is a concern that deserves attention," the doctor said.
As the crowd at Jantar Mantar continues to grow with students, parents and supporters arriving from different parts of the country, volunteer doctors remain on standby, their ambulances and medical kits becoming as much a part of the protest site as the slogans, banners and tents.