&w=1024&resize=1024,0&ssl=1 "RG Tax Case: Two more doctors join hunger strike after India News first week ends")
Two more young doctors joined six of their colleagues who have been on hunger strike here for seven days, demanding, among other things, justice for a doctor murdered in the RG Kar hospital.
Tina Panda of Ramakrishna Seva Pratishtana Mission and Alolika Ghorui of Calcutta State Medical College and Hospital joined the protest on Saturday, taking the total number of doctors on indefinite hunger strike across the state to 10, including two at North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri .
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Meanwhile, fasting doctors performed worse, and other doctors reported that their health parameters were “deteriorating.” They have been on hunger strike since October 5.
Dr Debashish Halder, one of the protesting doctors, said: “They are very weak and all their parameters are dropping. The creatinine content in their urine increased. The seven-day fast certainly affects their health, but it has not weakened their determination to fight for justice.”
Meanwhile, the health condition of junior doctor Aniket Mahato, admitted to the intensive care unit (CCU) of RG Kar Hospital, is “critical but stable”.
A senior doctor noted: “He is responding to treatment and showing improvement in health parameters with balanced care, but will need a few more days to fully recover.” Mahato, who joined an indefinite hunger strike on October 6, was rushed to RG Kar Hospital on Thursday as his health condition deteriorated.
In a similar context, two junior fasting doctors alleged that the police put pressure on their family members to persuade them to withdraw from their hunger strike.
Snigdha Hazra of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and Alok Verma of North Bengal Medical College said they had received calls from families asking them to end their hunger strike.
Videos circulating on social media show police going to Hazra's house in Bankura on Thursday evening. Verma said, “My mother called me that she had received a call from the Bengal Police. They told her that my health was deteriorating and asked her to call off the strike. I told her I would continue my fast and not listen to them. “
Senior police officials did not want to comment on the case.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to intervene before the situation escalates.
The ongoing agitation has also prompted the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) to warn protesting junior doctors of a nationwide “complete shutdown of medical services” if any harm occurs.
The doctors are demanding justice for their murdered colleague, the immediate dismissal of Health Secretary NS Nigam, the creation of a centralized hospital referral system, a system for monitoring vacant beds, increased police protection in hospitals and quick filling of vacant medical positions.
Meanwhile, 38 doctors from Arambagh Medical College and Hospital have decided to resign en masse in solidarity with their junior counterparts, an official said.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been modified by Business Standards staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
