Take a deep breath, open your mouth, show me your tongue… this is a routine that we all have gone through at our Doctor’s clinic at some point in time. It has always amazed me as to how Doctors can understand their patients with one look, one touch, and one question! Our women and men in the white coats are certainly bestowed by a supreme power and we should specially thank them on national doctors day.
July 1 is celebrated as National Doctors Day in India to commemorate the birth and death anniversary of the great physician. And the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy.
My humble Doctor’s nameplate reads “I treat, he cures.” This says volumes about the medical profession and its direct link to the almighty; Doctors save and treat billions of people around the globe, every day. This year’s National Doctors Day is particularly special as medical and healthcare professionals are bravely battling Coronavirus at the frontline.
The Covid-19 pandemic which has forced us to physically distance ourselves from one another has shown us how Doctors at the frontline are courageously treating every Covid-19 patients, patiently.
Speaking to The Wonk, a Doctor said, “Wearing a PPE suit has become the new normal for me. Initially, wearing it used to be such a task because it is so suffocating. When I remove it, it feels as though I’m peeling the PPE suit off my body. Since it makes you sweat bullets. Treating a patient and seeing her/him recover is worth all the trouble we go through!”
Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar, the face of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) who was seen addressing various press conferences during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Retired as the head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the apex health research body on Tuesday.
He will reportedly join the Dr CG Pandit National Chair and assist the research body from Pune.
Dr Gangakhedkar was instrumental in carving out policy measures to curb the Kerala Nipah Virus outbreak. He has worked tirelessly during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. He was awarded the Padma Shri earlier in 2020 for his efforts and research on HIV/AIDS.
So, make the effort of thanking your Doctors today! You and your loved ones are safe and healthy because of them.
Happy Doctors Day to all the Doctors and medical healthcare staff, and also to our first Doctors, our parents!
By Kunjan Ahluwalia