Indefinite hunger strike by MBBS students at Medical colleges in Indore, FORDA offers support

Indore: 8 students of Modern Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) sat on an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday to register their protest against no classes having been conducted by the college for the past 6 months. It is reported that the medical teachers have been boycotting classes since November for nonpayment of salaries and the college prior to the closure was not up to the mark in terms of facilities it was providing the students for medical study leading to the Medical Council of India suspending the college. While the action is against the college, the medical students now face an uncertain future. A similar situation is being faced by Advanced Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore

The students have also been agitating at the regal square for the past week, as well. One of the agitating girl students who fainted during the agitation due to low blood pressure and low pulse rate was admitted to Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital. Earlier the students also resorting to begging on streets and sleeping on road to mark their protest

An aggrieved students told FPJ, “We have been agitating for our demands for more than a week and the officials are not paying any attention to our demands which forced us to sit on hunger strike.”

According to him, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had also raised the issue with Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, but no action was taken.

“Nadda had also given us assurance to look into our demands as it is the matter of our future but it seems that he too forgot the assurance given.”

The college administration is believed to have offered to conduct classes in Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Science for a few months. “We requested the government and district administration to take over college for saving future of 140 students,” explained another agitating student to FPJ.

Another woe that the students expressed was of the MY hospital staff not treating them well when they took the fainting girl for medical help to the facility.

Students of MIMS alleged that the doctors of MY Hospital behaved badly on occasions when they were approached for medical help.

“The doctors shouted at us for going there again and again to the hospital. We told them about our problem but they did not listen and misbehaved with us,” said one of the students on hunger strike.

Meanwhile, Federation of Resident Doctors Association( FORDA) has extended unconditional support to the striking MBBS student. Dr Vivek Chouksey, National President of FORDA, said that he would come to meet medical students staging a protest at Board Office and they will try to meet political leaders and dignitaries of MCI.