Two more junior doctors have joined the ongoing fast-unto-death protest by their colleagues at Esplanade in Kolkata after Friday midnight in support of their demands in connection with the horrific rape and murder of a junior woman doctor at the R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital two months ago.
One of the two junior doctors who have joined the hunger strike is Parichay Panda, posted with the E.N.T. (ear-nose-throat) department of Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, which is affiliated to Swami Vivekananda-founded Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.
The second junior doctor joining the hunger strike is Alolika Ghorui, who is posted with the surgery division of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital.
With Ghorui and Panda, the total number of junior doctors currently in the fast-unto-death protest at Esplanade in Kolkata reached eight.
The hunger strike started on October 5 with six junior doctors — Tanaya Panja, Snigdha Hazra, Sayantani Ghosh Hazra, Anushtup Mukhopadhyay, Arnab Mukhopadhyay and Pulastya Acharya.
On October 6 evening, Aniket Mahato from R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital joined the hunger strike.
However, after Thursday midnight, Mahato’s health condition severely deteriorated and he had to be admitted to the intensive care unit of R.G. Kar, thus bringing down the number of fasting junior doctors again to six.
But now with Parichay Panda and Alolika Ghorui joining the hunger strike, the total number of junior doctors taking part in the hunger strike increased to eight.
The medical condition of the six junior doctors initiating the hunger strike on October 5 has already started showing symptoms of fast deterioration, especially Snigdha Hazra.
While Ketone bodies have been detected in their urine, their blood pressure levels have started fluctuating and pulse rates are high.
On Friday, the National President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) R.V. Asokan, who was in Kolkata, said that IMA is behind the agitation by junior doctors as they are protesting not in self-interest but in the larger public interest.
