News & Events

June 2021
Doctor's Day Every Day – A Tribute to our Real-Life Heroes

Not all heroes wear capes. The current novel coronavirus outbreak is a reminder for all of us to show gratitude to the frontline warriors including our medical and nursing professions for their relentless work, sacrifices and for the risks they’ve put themselves into in order to protect and save lives of others. This is to show our gratitude for every healthcare worker for stepping forward in the fight against COVID-19. 

“Their contributions and hard work deserve our gratitude each and every day. Salute to our Doctors for serving at the forefront.”

-Mr Sunil Khurana CEO & MD, BPL Medical Technologies

 

Dr Alok Roy Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals

1. What have been your learning during this pandemic and your advice to medical fraternity?

   More than knowledge tenacity, resilience commitment to patients and deep caring and empathy are critical for healthy outcomes.

2. Do you feel that India’s battle against COVID-19 has been relatively fortunate?

   Yes, India’s battle has been extremely fortunate we may have highest numbers but our death rates have been lowered to the tune of 1.1% and we are 108th in the world in cases per million.

3. How do you think the Government and other stakeholders can help clinicians / paramedics do their job better?

   Government and other stakeholders should keep health workforce safe, provide necessary consumables and medicines is good enough for support. Government should spend more on public health.

4. How do you keep up with the treatment techniques for different variants of COVID-19?

   News and research findings reach early and rather quickly also today doctors community is much better connected and this pandemic has taught us value of sharing early.

Dr Ranjan Pai Chairman, Manipal Education and Medical Group

1. As a head of a large institute what has been your mantra to deal with this pandemic and your message to your team?

   Crafting an adaptive, innovative and agile response to the pandemic, given its unpredictability and scale, has been the priority for Manipal Hospitals. We have been able to learn along the way, absorb inputs from India, abroad and from across sectors and incorporate those into our battle against Covid. I am extremely grateful to our entire team who have been front and center of our efforts and at it tirelessly for the last 15 months. I am proud of their contributions and the whole society owes a debt of gratitude to them.

2. How can India prepare for a possibility of a third wave?

   Augmenting our infrastructure for managing the cases both within and outside of a hospital setting is our priority. Equally important is training as many people as possible in managing Covid patients, especially those requiring intensive care. Driving vaccination to cover as much of our population as possible is also key to keeping further waves in check and we have been actively engaged in that.

3. What would you like to convey to all the aspiring young doctors?

   The medical profession is a calling and there would be very few occupations that can be as satisfying. Putting patients’ interest first and as the only consideration should be the response in any situation. The trust deficit that has crept in the doctor – patient relationship over the last couple of decades needs to be overcome and young doctors have to shoulder most of that responsibility.

4. What would you like to say to the citizens to reduce the workload on the medical professionals right now?

   This is indeed a trying situation not only for our country, but for the world. We would not be able to overcome the pandemic by actions of medical professionals or hospitals alone. Major role has to be played by the society in being responsible in their conduct that would facilitate the efforts of multiple sectors to deal with the situation at hand. It is a time that calls for all of us to think about the community at large, outside of our selves or our families. I am hopeful that all of us would rise to that challenge.

Dr Harsh Mahajan Founder and Chief Radiologist, Mahajan Imaging

1. The entire medical fraternity is playing a significant role in the ongoing COVID-19 crises in India. What would you like to say to them?

   I think the Indian medical and paramedical fraternity has outdone itself while fighting the war against COVID-19. Stories of doctors, nurses, and others putting their patients ahead of themselves have become commonplace – everyone rose to the occasion and helped overcome what is possibly one of the worst times our country has gone through. I salute and thank my friends and colleagues and congratulate them on helping us tide through the crisis. Let us not lose heart and keep the fight up – a third wave seems likely, and hence we must be ready to fight again.

2. What strategy do you feel should be adapted to handle the spread of infection and ensure that more people get healthcare facilities in rural parts of India?

   It starts with awareness – awareness about COVID appropriate behaviour and vaccination. Apart from that, the Government must quickly ramp up health infrastructure across the country. The Centre and States need to work efficiently like a unit, keeping a singular goal of citizens’ health in mind and the public and private sector would need to work in synergy. Both have done a great job, and now needs to ramp up these efforts.

3. What are your viewpoints on video consultations and tele-radiology being a part of patient care, especially during this pandemic?

   Video and tele-consultations have been the saving grace for dealing with the pandemic. In fact, Indian doctors living outside the country have also helped patients across the country. Video and tele-consultations have been the saving grace for dealing with the pandemic. In fact, Indian doctors living outside the country have also helped patients across the country.

   Almost everyone with access to internet was able to consult a doctor thanks to teleconsultations. Additionally, training of doctors using mass webinars became commonplace, leading to much better treatment outcomes. Teleradiology specifically helped provide rapid turnaround for patients who got CT scans or X-rays done for COVID-19. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence algorithms also came to the fore with reports being created in almost real-time.

4. What are your views on the way that the current vaccination drive has panned out in the country?

   I think India has done a great job so far with almost 20% population having received at least one dose. That said, we still have a long way to go and the only way to vaccinate the entire population in time is to do one crore vaccinations per day. The new policies implemented by the Central Government should make the process of procuring and dispensing vaccines much easier for all stakeholders, including States and the private sector so as to reach the last mile.

 

Amidst the outbreak due to the novel coronavirus, we cannot forget the frontline workers who are continually challenged by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Watch Dr Shilpa Patel, an Associate Professor at the Anatomy Department, Medical College Baroda, as she shares her heartfelt story with us about how she continued to work and care for her patients even after losing her mother to COVID-19.