Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: Anna Hazare, who is sitting on a three-day fast here for a strong Lokpal, has been strongly advised by doctors to end his fast.
Hazare, who began his fast yesterday at MMRDA Ground here, has been adamant and has refused to discontinue his fast.
However, addressing from the dais at the fast venue doctors said they have strongly advised the Gandhian activist to discontinue his fast.
“Further fasting is strongly discouraged,” a member of the doctors’ team told the crowd at the MMRDA Ground, saying Hazare’s present health condition may lead to kidney failure.
While noting that Hazare’s blood pressure is 105/70 and temperature 100 degrees, the doctor said there is evidence of dehydration.
However, he added that the 74-year-old activist’s throat and chest are clear, and his heart is functioning normally.
Doctors and Team Anna members have been urging Hazare since yesterday to continue the agitation but call off the fast in view of his deteriorating health.
On Tuesday night, Hazare was running a fever of 102 degrees and his blood pressure was also high at 170/96.
According to doctors, Hazare has lost 1.5 kg weight.
Team Anna member Manish Sisodia said this morning, "We request him to break fast so that he can take medicine."
Doctors are expected to take a final decision today on whether to move him to a hospital. There is speculation that if Hazare’s health deteriorates further and he still refuses to end fast, he could be forcibly moved to the hospital.
It should be noted that Hazare had not been eating since Sunday as he had lost his appetite, according to Team Anna members.
At the MMRDA ground in Mumbai, where Hazare is fasting, doctors from JJ Hospital and an ambulance have been on standby since yesterday.
Team Anna members Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal as also Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had yesterday appealed to Hazare to end his fast following concerns over his health.
"I requested him to call off his fast," Chavan. "I told him that after Parliament's voting, he is free to continue his agitation. But he must take care of his health."
The doctor said although the fast began only Tuesday, his failure to eat adequate food the past few days because of cold had added to the problem.
First Published: Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 09:12