The national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), R.V. Asokan, met the junior doctors on a fast unto death at Esplanade on Friday evening and appealed to the state government to address the issues “on an emergency basis” as the demands made by the medics were “eminently doable”.

“I bring the goodwill and concern of all the doctors across India. We are concerned, we doctors are a family. I have come with a very heavy heart for these young doctors. They are the struggling heroes of the medical profession who are fighting for the cause of justice. All the demands placed by them are doable, eminently doable. IMA has appealed to the (state) government to address them on an emergency basis, considering the deteriorating health of these children,” Asokan said after meeting the six junior doctors on fast at Esplanade.

The seventh, Aniket Mahata, was admitted to the CCU of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Friday morning after his condition turned critical.

The protesting doctors are pressing for a 10-point charter of demands, triggered by the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar on August 9.

Before reaching the protest site at Esplanade, Asokan visited Mahata at RG Kar.

At Esplanade, he said Mahata had yet to be fully stable and despite his condition, all he spoke about was their movement and why they were on fast.

“Never once has any one of them spoken about themselves. They have been fasting for many days. Their health is deteriorating, yet all they are talking about are their demands and the movement and how they are prepared to go to any extent to see this through. The IMA is solidly behind them, we will go to any extent, we will not let them down,” Asokan said.

On Friday morning, the junior doctors had given a call for a mass gathering at
Esplanade.

Hundreds responded to the call and people from the city as well as the fringes thronged the protest site at Esplanade.

Debashis Halder, one of the protesting junior doctors, said: “The entire nation is with us. Our first demand remains the same and that is a proper investigation and fair trial for our colleague who was raped and murdered at her workplace. It is surprising that there are attempts to taint this movement by some political leaders. We want to say again that this is a fight for justice and we are doctors and not politicians.”