Junior Doctor Aniket Mahato Hospitalized Amid Health Deterioration

Aniket Mahato, one of the seven junior doctors participating in a hunger strike in Kolkata, has been admitted to R.G. Kar Hospital due to a deterioration in his health condition. The decision to hospitalize Mahato came late at night after his colleagues assessed his failing health condition at their protest site in Dharmatala. An ambulance was summoned, and Mahato was promptly transported to the hospital, where he is currently under intensive care.

Dr. Ashfaqullah Naiya, a fellow junior doctor at R.G. Kar Hospital, informed the media that Mahato’s timely admission might have prevented a potential fatality. However, he also noted that Mahato’s condition remains critical. Medical staff have administered IV fluids, and blood tests have been conducted which revealed the presence of ketone bodies in his urine, indicating severe starvation or dehydration.

The hunger strike by the junior doctors is now in its seventh day, having continued for over 120 hours. Their protest demands include improved safety for hospital doctors and staff, and the removal of the state health secretary, among a total of ten demands. Despite messages of support from senior doctors encouraging them to end the strike, the junior doctors remain adamant in their hunger protest.

Yesterday, interactions between the protestors and local police reportedly led to clashes amid the backdrop of other regional festivities, which the demonstrators accuse the police of disrupting their activities.

Earlier this week, the state government had invited the junior doctors for a meeting on the day of the regional festival, with Manoj Pant, the state’s Chief Secretary, in attendance. However, the meeting, which lasted approximately three hours, left junior doctors dissatisfied, with some expressing their anger or distress immediately afterwards. They accused the government of failing to respond positively to their demands.

Besides Aniket Mahato, other doctors continuing the hunger strike at Dharmatala include Tanaya Panja, Snigdha Hazra, Sayantanee Ghosh Hazra, Anustup Mukhopadhyay, Arnab Mukhopadhyay, and Pulastya Acharya. Initially, the protest began with a call for strikes by the junior doctors, including Kinjal Nanda and others, which they withdrew after discussions with senior doctors. Subsequently, they intensified their stance by commencing an indefinite hunger strike.