DOCTORS DAY!

Doctor's Day

Doctor’s Day is celebrated on 1st July in fond memory of Dr. B.C. Roy. He was an eminent physician, freedom fighter, philanthropist, and Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1948 to 1962. The first Doctor’s Day was celebrated on March 30, 1933, in Georgia, USA. We have seen doctors in various phases of our life. In olden times, as family physicians, the physician used to be a member of the family. He would come rushing to any household with his kit of necessary medicines when called in an emergency. He would be consulted regarding important family matters. And would sometimes also convey harsh eye-opening messages to members of the family. Doctors could be an arbitrator at times.

You can invariably find such a character in old Hindi movies. Gradually times changed. The family doctor would no longer come to the house. But the patient had to be taken to his clinic, nevertheless, the trust and the camaraderie continued unabated. However, with changing times, medical science advanced. Quite a few investigations were available to arrive at a diagnosis of a particular disease and better treatment options came to the fore. Moreover, new medicines were being invented every single day.

As I write this, I am sure another new invention may have been added to the armamentarium. And the med students have to learn about another new drug or a newer procedure. That’s exactly what we all are striving for, right? To find a cure for all the ailments. Thus, doctors are now armed with better gadgets and better facilities to treat their patients. To use them, they have to learn and master the skills, put in a lot of effort, and invest precious time. E.g. Keyhole surgery or laparoscopy is a boon for patients but it has a long learning curve and the equipment is expensive.

Hence, the cost of treatment goes up. People make a lot of hues and cry about it. Expectations from a medical graduate are too high. Doctors should work 24×7 and should sign a bond for a certain amount of time (which varies with the whims of the then government). He should not leave the country unless he completes the bond so on and so forth. But the doctor has become a favorite punching bag of the media, the public, and leaders alike. The corporate hospitals where he works pay him a salary like any other employee and he is not responsible for the final bill. But it’s so fashionable and cool to see this poor guy in a bad light.

The Covid 19 pandemic has struck us like a bolt from the blue and brought life to a grinding halt. People are made to stay indoors but the doctors can never WFH (work from home). Like the brave soldiers who are fighting at the Galwan Valley, they have to be on the field to fight the calamity. So many have fallen prey to the virus. We take it as an occupational hazard. No one will be given any gallantry awards to these medicos, as this is the call of duty. Neither would the family get any benefits. We are bound by the Hippocratic oath to serve our fellowmen by all means possible. The smile we see while the patient is cured and discharged is priceless. It is the irony that our livelihoods depend on the ailments of people. But believe me, money is just a by-product of the services rendered.

Medicine is a science where there are unpredictable twists and turns. There cannot be a blanket rule as each individual has a different genetic makeup. So the outcome of treatment may vary. My humble appeal to all those who are reading this. “Don’t treat doctors as demigods or heroes and don’t make them villains of the piece either”. That would be the best Doctor’s Day present. That would be the most priceless tribute to the departed souls. Doctors are our true heroes and their contribution to our society is unmeasurable. We should celebrate Doctor’s Day every day.

Dr. Manisha Shembekar
MD, DA
Joint Managing Director
Omega Hospital, Nagpur