New Delhi: Resident doctors of AIIMS, who are demanding immediate issuance of degree certificates, will move the Supreme Court today on the issue as their strike entered the third day disrupting patient care services. In a related development, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, who was to leave for Bhutan this morning to attend a WHO meeting, cancelled his trip apparently due to the crisis.

Resident Doctors Association General Secretary Anil Sharma said a senior lawyer was preparing the petition seeking a directive from the court to the government to immediately issue the certificates. "We will plead before the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing in the matter as time is running out for a number of students who are planning to go abroad for higher studies," Sharma said.

The decision to approach an "appropriate court at an appropriate time" was taken a late night general body meeting of the resident doctors.
With the September one deadline for submitting original certificates at foreign universities fast approaching, students claimed that any delay in signing of the certificates by the minister would "jeopardise" their future.

Ramadoss, President of AIIMS, had yesterday refused to sign the certificate of degrees, a demand put forward by the agitating medical students, on the ground that they had the signature of Registrar Dr Sandeep Aggarwal, whose appointment he contended was illegal. He refused to take the blame for the delay in the issue of certificates of about 700 pass-outs and held institute director P Venugopal responsible for it.