National Doctors day- Thank You, Today And Always!

July 1- The date was chosen to honor the great physician and Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. It has been celebrated on a national level since 1991. The purpose was to recognize the role medical professionals play in our society and simultaneously motivate doctors to come together and understand the delicate responsibility that rests on their shoulders.

Doctors put themselves through many years of school and hard work to help take care of their communities. This is a path only a choice few are able to follow to fruition. The dedication and diligence with which they fulfill their duty are unparalleled.

Dr. Gagan M.S. Malhotra, who is the Honorary Secretary of IMA, Janakpuri talked to us about how indispensable doctors are and how important the work they do is. He says, "I'd like to show my gratitude to those doctors who are fighting on the front lines similar to the other heroes of our country such as soldiers, police officers, and firefighters. The work that my fraternity has done so far and the results they have achieved are truly unprecedented and commendable."

There has also emerged an admirable movement by many doctors across the nation, where they are seen coming out of retirement, vacation, and in many cases even sickness and poor health to practice their skill and help out the population.

Due to the pandemic, these essential workers have been forced to make gruesome decisions on which patient to treat; which may have life-changing repercussions on both the patient and his family. They have to remain sensible and objective through this entire process, all the while risking personal exposure. Let's pray for all medical professionals' physical and mental health and praise their fortitude in this fight as they continue to provide us with hope as well as valiant leadership.

They require our support and coordination now more than ever. Even though many of us have been providing doctors with our unencumbered support; there still remain many reports of violence, hostility, and ostracism coming out of our society against doctors. Medical professionals who are sent out to do testing for the virus, are often chased away by people. Also many are being evicted from their homes as people fear that they might be carrying the virus with them. This is very shameful and outrageous, as these medical professionals who are already doing many hour shifts of exhausting work shouldn't have to face a further strain. It's due to this reason that the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 has been passed. This also honors the 2019 National Doctor's Day theme of "Zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishments."

This year's theme by the Indian Medical Association is "Lessen the mortality of COVID-19." The IMA urges the medical professionals to take lead in their respective jurisdictions and help in changing the situation by active intervention. We can help play a part in this mission by being conscious of any symptoms being displayed by us or our family members and bringing this to the immediate attention of a doctor. We should also follow complete self-quarantine if any symptoms are present and not threaten the further spread of the virus, as this would burden the medical system.

Stay Tuned, Stay Relevant!