Shiban Khaibri
Hippocrates, the Great had said, “Wherever the art of medicine is loved , there is also a love of Humanity.” A Doctor’s job is such that he or she never goes home at the end of the day thinking he or she has not done something valuable and important. Yes, they give health and smiles to people . A patient must have an unflinching faith and trust in a Doctor and that creates wonders.
There are numerous instances where Doctors really have proved next to God on the surface of the earth. Ask those who get healed, soothed, repaired and revived. We are habitual in criticising and berating Doctors and specialists posted in our Government hospitals and always praise high medical facilities in foreign countries or about our private hospitals . There were some tragic deaths of children in Gorakhpur in 2017-18 and later in Bihar, and right from the media to those who unfortunately lost their loved ones, the people, the chirping debating panellists on TV Channels were heaping all types of innuendoes on Doctors and showing clips of the ‘pitiable condition’ of Government hospitals. No qualms about that and no carelessness or demonstration of inefficiency can be condoned. However, never ever did anyone point towards how much work load were they handling especially in emergencies. No one seems bothered about what infrastructure was there in such hospitals, how many beds would ordinarily be required looking to the people going there. What problems did the administration of these Government hospitals encounter with and whether any heed was being paid towards that. The budgeted allocations on those projects which comparatively were not as important could wait . Instead , the funds could be diverted to make our Government hospitals equipped with better infrastructure. About that , most of the politicians never bothered . Projects which fetched votes or were initiated on political considerations usually proving unproductive ran the risk of becoming infested with corruption . Just take the case of UP , fake pension cases, fake scholarships and other monetary irregularities were treated as something normal. What was the rationale behind paying Rs.50000 “pension” per month by Samajwadi party’s Akhilesh Government to 172 Bollywood celebrities till present CM Yogi Ji took over . That alone works out to be Rs. 86 lakh per month or Rs. 10.32 crore annually. It was ostensibly done to have positive coverage for him and his Government on media and social net working. This whooping amount, just squandered could have been utilised in bettering the lot of Government hospitals in UP, otherwise crying for the same. Imagine what wonders one could expect from the poor Doctors posted in such hospitals sans basic critical infrastructure.
How many instances we have come across, where people who could better be called as goons physically attacked Doctors on duty as some patient unfortunately died either due to delayed treatment or even due to faulty treatment over which a Doctor had normally no control. This time , we are facing the worst medical crisis and lurking danger to human lives due to (Chinese) COVID -19 virus which has taken the shape of a pandemic . Even WHO has ratified it officially. A number of 192 countries out of 240 are affected by the Virus. As on the date of writing these lines, there are over 341300 reported cases all over the world out of which nearly 15000 have died. Their number is increasing and so is the number of virus cases increasing in our own country with a pattern of gradually spreading across the states or its spread being not confined to a few states only. With available infrastructure, it is the medical fraternity working in our Government hospitals that are treating the affected people, risking their own lives. Doctors, Nursing staff , para-medical personnel, helpers, attendants posted in our Government hospitals are doing backbreaking and gargantuan job and rendering enviably superb services . With whatever available infrastructure , they are a committed lot and treating the people suspected to be infected with the virus. Leaves already sanctioned to those ones who had applied for, stand rescinded and fresh leaves declined to even the needy ones. We owe our gratitude to these Doctors and other staff from our Government hospitals. We also owe gratitude to the personnel of our Police force who, day in and day out are performing their duties as the extent of their job responsibilities gets widened. Those ones can be pitied upon who choose to resort to pelting stones on or trying to chase them and beat them while on duty. It is better to witness a policeman wielding its lathi and even using it when needed instead of getting a blow from a civilian’s lathi as a Policeman is the symbol of upholder of law and order.
The other part of the story is, again about very less or no contribution from private hospitals in fighting COVID-19 the way our Government hospitals and Doctors and other staff posted there are doing. The Government has, however, impressed upon some of them to keep some beds ready and earmarked for quarantining the suspected patients and provide some testing facilities. It is astonishing that these hospitals get costliest land just for a song from the Government with this impression that they would cater to some patients from the poor segments as well but just getting an OPD admission , one has to pay and undergo other hassles. In the same way, we may find faults with the Public Sector Airlines but it was Air India only which landed at the epicentre of Coronavirus at Wuhan in China and rescued Indian stranded citizens, no private airlines did and it was the team of daring Doctors and experts working in Government hospitals who volunteered to risk their lives going there along with the crew of the plane. Not only customary salute , but our naman is due to them for their ‘tyag’ and commitment.
The latest figures of the suspect carriers of the virus in the country has nearly touched 500 with 9 deaths. Our Government at the centre took timely and appropriate steps in fighting this invisible devouring demon with seemingly tenaciously unconquerable characteristics which in a country as vast as ours, and densely populated with over 130 crore, has no alarming situation. World Health Organisation and other prominent World Bodies have appreciated the way Indian Government handled COVID 19 crisis. It is another thing that some disgruntled, rejected and dejected politicians keep on criticising the Government even in respect of this “Mahamari” . That is simply shocking but unacceptable. We know, how this novel virus devastated China, Italy, Spain, France , Iran and even is causing havoc in the most advanced and developed United States .
Extraordinary fiscal actions are needed to be taken along with fighting the devil of COVID-19 in India and no credence or importance needed to be given to unnecessary and illogical criticism from some political parties’ leaders in this respect. The overwhelming support to the call of the Prime Minister in making self imposed curfew on March 22 unprecedently successful is reminiscent of India coming together and having unflinching trust in the present leadership. UT of Jammu and Kashmir, its administration, police force , district authorities, civic officials are doing fine. COVID-19 has thrown challenges and proved medicines and not missiles are needed the most. Let us fight it resolutely and stop it at stage two itself and thus emerge victorious.
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