Fasting junior doctor continues protest in ICU

HYDERABAD: Amid reports that fasting junior doctors would be shifted to hospital for treatment, five of them continued their hunger strike for the fifth day despite deteriorating health on Sunday at the Gandhi Medical College.Among the six fasting doctors, the staff of Gandhi Hospital had shifted K Ravikumar to intensive care on Saturday night as his glucose levels had dropped to alarming levels. According to Junior Doctors’ Assocuation members, Kumar was refusing to take any food and continued his protest in the ICU.Meanwhile, the remaining junior doctors health is said to have deteriorated by the evening.The health condition of Chandrasekhar Azad was most concerning. Speaking to Express, JUDA JAC convener MI Abilash said that they are all ready to sacrifice their lives by launching hunger strike, if police attempt to lift the fasting doctors. “The state government is only willing to increase the stipend by 15 per cent while we want a 40 per cent rise,” he said. Health minister DL Ravindra Reddy said they are yet to take a decision on inviting JUDA members for talks.The state government is of the opinion that the demand to increase the stipend by 40 per cent is unjustified.Andhra Medical College Junior Docs to Begin Fast from TodayVISAKHAPATNAM: Junior doctors of the Andhra Medical College have decided to intensify their stir by boycotting emergency services and kickstarting an indefinite hunger strike on Monday.The medicos are supporting their counterparts at Hyderabad who have already started an indefinite hunger strike. Mohammed Abdul Salim, Tusi Singh, P Aruna, Hithasri and Nagamani have been on a relay fast before King George Hospital here for the past nine days.The general secretary of the Junior Doctors' Association, K Surendra said a junior doctor Srikanth from Andhra Medical College has been participating in the strike at Hyderabad, he said. However, the government has still not responded to our demands, he lamented. Surendra also alleged that the Health minister DL Ravindra Reddy is spreading false rumours that the government is paying lakhs of rupees to junior doctors