This Doctor’s Day 2020 was SPECIAL for medical profession, doctors. A lot has changed   

By Sanjeev K Ahuja, Editor-in-Chief, Asian Community News (ACN) Network

NEW DELHI: The National Doctor’s Day that is celebrated every year to recognize the priceless contribution by the doctors’ fraternity for their dedicated services, was never so “special” as it was on July 1, 2020. This sacred profession has experienced a paradigm shift in the perception people carried about it earlier, say the doctors.

It is for the first time ever since the National Doctor’s Day was launched by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in 1991, the healthcare profession received an unprecedented recognition and applause for the invaluable contribution by the doctors who earned accolades like frontline Corona Warriors for servicing the COVID-19-hit community.

People flooded the mails, chat boxes, and other social media platforms and micro-blogging sites with congratulatory messages, greetings, and praises for the medical professionals this time on July 1.

People truly realized that the doctors were just next to God when they saw them putting their own, and their families’ lives at risk while serving the deadly Coronavirus-infected patients. Many doctors – even young ones got infected with COVID-19 and succumbed to this deadly virus that emanated from Wuhan province of China and claimed the lives of lakhs of people across the world.  

At the same time, it was not only the highly-infectious virus that killed and left many other doctors seriously ill, but the stringent government regulations and public ire against health workers too made going tough for them.

“The year 2020 turned out to be a tough one for the entire mankind when COVID-19 struck the world. People have recognized that the contribution of doctors is priceless. The doctors and healthcare workers are being recognized as Corona Warriors for the relentless service being offered by them. This is high time they should get their dues. The government can now come out with policies to safeguard their interests and wellbeing so that more and more youngsters opt for the medical profession as their career,” said Dr. Shankar Narang, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Paras Healthcare Pvt Limited that runs Paras Hospital, Gurugram.   

As many as 70 doctors have laid their lives, others got infected:

The greetings and appreciations showering on doctors on Doctor’s Day 2020 were far away for being formal gestures as used to be the case in previous years. Healthcare professionals like Dr. Hitendra Ahooja, is amongst those who continued to practice even during the Coronavirus pandemic and got infected with the deadly virus. He has now swung back into action again after testing negative after isolating himself 14-day quarantine.     

“The COVID-19 pandemic has raised levels of respect for the doctors’ fraternity, especially amongst the young generations. It was for the first time ever in my career span of about 23 years I felt proud of being in my profession as an eye care professional. After spending time in quarantine, I joined work again about a week back and continue to see patients. We just cannot sit back home for the fear of being infected. I know I may get infected again but cannot break the trust of my patients who need our services,” said Dr. Ahooja, Medical Director, Ahooja Eye, and Dental Hospital.   

According to doctors, this Doctor’s Day people understood that this is a noble profession, way beyond being mere social service or business.

“As many as 70 doctors in India and over 1100 doctors martyred and have laid their lives while treating COVID-19 patients. Doctors as individuals have received the recognition of being saviors of humankind. On the contrary, the big-ticket hospitals that have raised the standard of healthcare and brought in better technology though, have got the bad name for fleecing the patients. Such hospitals, not the individual doctors have been tagged as opportunists,” said Dr. Mahaveer Prasad Jain, President, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Gurugram.  

For Dr. Harish Yadav, Implantologist and Prosthodontist, International Dental and Cosmetics Centre, July 1 was special as he and his wife Dr. Suman Yadav were showered with the congratulatory remarks and greetings on Doctor’s Day from his patients, friends, and relatives.

“But my takeaway from this year’s Doctor’s Day was that we realized the importance of health over wealth. As our profession calls for, we get maximum exposure to the patients thus running the highest risk of getting infected. We have changed the ways we sued to operate earlier though it has cost us extra bucks. Besides investing hefty on the safety paraphernalia for the patients, we selectively and cautiously to ensure safety for self and patients as well,” Dr. Yadav added.    

Scores of appreciations pouring in but at very high cost:

Dr. Ankit Gupta, Managing Director, Park Group of Hospitals, said, “People are more courteous than before because of Coronavirus pandemic, and are sending their congratulatory remarks to the doctors and changed the perception about the medical professionals. However, nothing much has changed anything as a profession as we been treating virus outbreaks like H1N1, MARS, SARS, and others earlier too. But COVID-19 has been a bit different in effects has made us change many this.”

“We dedicated 200 beds out of a total of 1000 beds in our various hospitals in Haryana to the Haryana state government, and 120 beds to Delhi government for COVID-19 patients, besides creating isolation wards, ICUs, arranging for ventilators and also residential facilities for doctors and healthcare workers who are serving patients. But all that happened at a very high-cost capital too,” Dr. Gupta added.

The rising cost of operation has hit the medium or small hospitals a lot as other overheads being constant in comparison with the influx of patients.  

“This Doctor’s Day we really felt honored as more and more people shared greetings for the services we are rendering to the society in this difficult time. It was unprecedented in my 45 years of profession. However, since a lot is being spent by us to maintain hygiene, an infection-free environment inside the hospital while the influx of routine patients has hit an all-time low. The staff is being paid over and above we used to pay earlier. The entire staff was covered under medical insurance at our cost. We don’t teat level 3 COVID-19 patients and always refer as we not equipped to do so,” said Dr. Subhash Khanna, Managing Director, Kalyani Hospital.    

Government healthcare system gets its long-due respect

Besides receiving appreciations, the doctors also got honored at various platforms in recognition of their invaluable services being rendered to humankind especially during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Rotary Club International (City), Palwal representing four organizations honored Dr. Brahamdeep Sindhu, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Palwal on Doctor’s Day on Wednesday for his relentless contribution to the people, and containing the spread of COVID-19 there. Palwal has reported a very less number of COVID-19 patients as compared to other neighboring towns of Faridabad, Gurugram, and Sonepat.

“In my 24-year career into the medical profession, I felt for the first time that the people, in general, have posted their confidence in the government healthcare system and they are coming to government-run facilities in larger numbers, especially during the days of Coronavirus outbreak. This is really a good sign which made the Doctor’s Day very special this time,” Dr. Sindhu added.

More people embrace Ayurveda and recognize it’s strength 

India’s ancient Ayurveda treatment and medicines too received much-deserved respect and recognition as more and more people have turned this form of prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Dr. Parmeshwar Arora, an Ayurveda expert and a known face on the television screens and social media platforms these days, said Doctor’s day was never so special the way it was on Wednesday.

“It was for the first time that I received more than one lakh congratulatory messages in my inbox. My Facebook page/videos were viewed by 1.5 crores people and over 35 lakh people shared it. And it was not the case last year or previous years. It is all a manifestation of the fact that the popularity of Ayurveda is spread like never before, especially these days when COVID-19 has spread across the globe. People are turning to Ayurveda medicines even for serious ailments including Coronavirus. The government is also pushing this concept amongst the people,” said Dr. Arora.  

In its bid to make the people aware of the fatal impact of the coronavirus and to make them got Ayurveda ways and means of safeguarding them from this deadly virus, Dr. Arora has been going to every nook and corner of Gurugram city addressing the people on public address system.