Another Junior Doctor On Hunger Strike Hospitalised After His Health Deteriorated

Junior doctors have initiated a fast-upto-death agitation since October 5 and Anushtup Mukhopadhyay is the third to be hospitalised after his health condition worsened.

Kolkata:Another junior doctor fell seriously ill and had to be rushed to the hospital on the eighth day of the fast-unto-death agitation seeking justice for the rape and murder for their colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Saturday night.

Anushtup Mukhopadhyay, a post-graduate trainee posted with Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, is among the six junior doctors who had launched the hunger strike on October 5. He has been admitted to the critical care unit of the Calcutta Medical College last night.

An eight-member medical board, including specialists namely Dr Soumitra Ghosh, Dr Somnath Dey, Dr Animesh Maiti, Dr Sibesh Das, Dr Sougata Chattapadhyay, has been set up for his treatment. According to sources, Anushtup was taken to the hospital at around 11 pm on Saturday with complaints of stomach ache and also had blood traces in his stool. He was admitted to the critical care unit of the super specialty block.

Dr Soumitra Ghosh, a member of the medical board, said Anushtup's physical condition is stable but he has been kept under observation. Anushtup is a first-year post graduate student of Endocrinology Department of Calcutta Medical College.

Earlier on Thursday midnight, Aniket Mahato of RG Kar Medical College, fell ill and was admitted to the hospital and Alok Kumar Verma of North Bengal Medical College, was admitted to Hybrid CCU of North Bengal Medical College on Friday.

The junior doctors who are currently on hunger strike at Dharmtala are Snigdha Hazra, Arnab Mukhopadhyay, Tanaya Panja, Sayantani Ghosh Hazra and Pulastya Acharya. Their physical conditions are also gradually deteriorating. On Friday night, two more junior doctors, Tina Panda, second-year PGT student of Shishumangal Hospital's ENT department and Alolika Ghodui, first-year PGT student of Calcutta National Medical College's surgery department, had joined the hunger strike.

Doctors of various private hospitals across the state have announced that they would go for a 48-hour cease-work from 6 am on Monday and only the emergency medical services will be available during this period.

Along with this, the "mass resignations" of senior doctors continued even on Sunday with nearly 77 posted in the state-run College of Medicine and JNM Hospital at Kalyani in Nadia district tendering their "mass resignation" through an email to the registrar of the institute. They claimed that the recent incident has left them mentally shattered and as there are possibilities of wrong treatment, they are tendering their "mass resignation".

Till now, over 300 senior doctors have resigned.

Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari has called for boycotting state government's annual carnival on Durga idol immersion which is scheduled on October 15.

"The Durga Puja was organised but lacked the festive mood since protests on the rape and murder of the junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital continued even during the Durga Puja days. So I appeal to people to boycott the carnival to send a message to the administration,” he said Adhikari.

Responding to Adhikari’s appeal, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said the carnival is aimed at highlighting West Bengal's culture. “He (Suvendu Adhikari) belongs to a party that people have boycotted and so he is giving a call for carnival boycott out of frustration,” said Ghosh.

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