ROURKELA: Four volunteers of the Western Odisha Yuva Manch (WOYM), in a renewed demand for declaring the newly-constructed Sundargarh Government Medical College & Hospital (SGMCH) as the second AIIMS of Odisha, have resorted to an indefinite hunger strike at the DRDA Chowk of Sundargarh town. Their protest entered the second day on Wednesday.
The agitation comes at a time when medical admission for this academic session is about to begin and moreso, previous campaigns on the demand had failed to evoke any response. The volunteers Subham Mohapatra, Dinesh Patel, Ranjan Mahanandia and Sumit Das, all of Sundargarh district asserted their hunger strike would continue till their demand is met.
They have also sent a memorandum in this regard to President of India Drapaudi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stating that the agitation is being done on behalf of the people of western Odisha who are forced to avail tertiary healthcare at Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Visakhapatnam. Poor patients of western Odisha suffer financially and physically to avail better treatment at far-flung hospitals and many die without getting treatment, the memo stated requesting reconsideration of the demand.
Sundargarh MLA Kusum Tete, who had earlier led a campaign over the demand, said she supports the youths. The state government is in the process of making appointments for regular and contractual postings at the medical college and hospital besides starting admission of students from this academic session. For the initial two years the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital will act as designated hospital of the SGMCH.