Kolkata, Oct 12 (IANS): Now doctors at different private hospitals in West Bengal have decided to join the protests by junior doctors against the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata in August.

A group of doctors attached to different private hospitals reached the dais of the fast-unto-death agitation by eight junior doctors on Saturday and announced that they would be going for partial cease-work for 48 hours from Monday.

"The partial cease-work will start from 6 a.m. on Monday and continue to 6 a.m. on Wednesday. During this period, only the emergency medical services in these private hospitals will be made available," said a doctor attached to a leading private hospital in Kolkata.

Asked whether this move will create inconvenience for the patients coming to these hospitals for treatment, he said that precisely keeping the larger public interest in mind, they have decided to keep the emergency medical services in the state intact.

"This is not just a movement of doctors. This movement is in the larger public interest. The protesting junior doctors have received spontaneous public support. We want to assure the people, who always stood beside us, that in case of any emergency, they will not be denied treatment," the doctor contended.

The doctors attached to the private hospital alleged that they were supposed to make this announcement at a press conference at a hotel in Esplanade.

"Although the hotel authorities agreed to rent out a hall for the press conference, they backed out at the time of paying the booking amount. We heard that the hotel authorities backed out because of the pressure from the police. Hence, we decided to make this announcement from the hunger strike venue," said a doctor.

The announcement came a day after the Indian Medical Association's (IMA) national President R.V. Asokan, who came to the state on Friday to meet the protesting doctors at the hunger strike venue, said that the agitation was not in self-interest but in the larger public interest.

"The junior doctors are protesting against the rampant corruption in the healthcare system. They are speaking against the lack of safety at their workplaces which are hospitals. They are not carrying their protests out of self-interest... Their protests are in the larger public interest. They have really touched my heart. I want to say that IMA is beside them," Asokan said after reaching the dais at Esplanade in central Kolkata where six junior doctors were on their fast-unto-death protests in support of their demands.

However, at the same time, Asokan requested the fasting doctors to withdraw their agitation.