Indefinite hunger strike by Junior doctors in Bengal enters 8th day

Kolkata: The fast-unto-death agitation by the Junior doctors of state-owned hospitals in Bengal demanding fulfillment of their ten-point charter of demands entered the eighth day on Saturday with no immediate solution in sight.

Meanwhile, two more medics joined the fast-unto-death taking the number of hunger strikers to ten.

The pressure on the Mamata Banerjee government was mounting as doctors of several private corporate hospitals including Apollo Gleneagles, RN Tagore, Manipal, Fortis, Medica, and Peerless have threatened to suspend work from all non-emergency services from early next week.

The demand of the Junior doctors among other things included justice for RG Kar Hospital, eliminate threat culture in the government Hospitals, and removal of state Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam.

The Medics started the fast-unto-death agitation on October 5 and on the 7th day Dr Aniket Mahato, one of the agitating doctors was admitted to the RG Kar Hospital after his health condition deteriorated. He is now out of danger.

A medic at the protesting centre at Dorina Crossing ( Esplanade) said the blood pressure was going down, the sugar level dipped off and the ketones of the doctors who are on fast were getting high.

Meanwhile, about 36 doctors of the Arambagh Medical College and Hospital in a joint letter to the state Secretariat threatened to resign en masse if the government did not concede to the demands of the Junior doctors.

Already, several senior doctors and professors from six government hospitals have mailed their resignation letters to the Health Secretariat urging the government to act fast to save the fasting medics or else they would be forced to abstain from working in their respective departments.

Indian Medical Association President Dr R V Asokan on Friday appealed to the Chief Minister to immediately address the issues on an emergency basis and opined that the demands of the junior doctors were "eminently doable".

Dr Asokan said that the Chief Minister herself was a product of the movement and she understood the demands of the junior doctors for the betterment of the health facilities of the state government.

Dr Asokan, also called on the protesting doctors at the Dorina Crossing.

"I bring the goodwill and concern of all the doctors of India. We are concerned, we are family. I have come with a very heavy heart for these young doctors, who are the struggling heroes of the medical profession fighting for the cause of justice. All the demands are doable, eminently doable. IMA has appealed to the (state) government

to address them on an emergency basis, considering the deteriorating health of these children," Asokan said after meeting the protesting junior doctors.

The IMA chief said they were solidly behind the junior medics. " We will go to any extent, we will not let them down,"

State Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has issued a status report on the progress of the work in creating infrastructure for a conducive atmosphere in the government HJospitals as discussed with the junior doctors previously.

Pant also appealed to the junior doctors to end the agitation and return to work.