#FightAgainstCovid: Doctors go beyond their call of duty

Free consultation, Covid wards in societies and educating the underprivileged – doctors in Delhi-NCR are doing it all to ensure that people in distress get all the necessary help to fight the second wave.

There seems to be no stopping the havoc that the pandemic is playing in our lives. And amid this crisis, even though the frontline workers are facing a severe burnout, there are some doctors in Delhi-NCR, who are going above and beyond their professional call of duty to ensure that they serve denizens in whichever way possible.

Doctors in Delhi-NCR are working overtime to help Delhiites fight the pandemic. Here is a drive conducted as part of the initiative Doctors on Road, for the underprivileged.

Some like Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti — who started an initiative Doctors on Road to help the underprivileged in Delhi — have so far catered to migrant labourer in certain colonies of Okhla, South Extension, Nehru Nagar and Kidwai Nagar. “Small bastis in and around Delhi still have no access to healthcare or information about the pandemic. We provide them with masks, soaps and sanitisers since the infection can be curbed by these preventative measures,” says Bhatti. Overseeing work of 25 volunteers in his team, he adds: “There is a shortage of oxygen and beds in the city, so I believe teaching the poorer sections about Covid appropriate behaviour will go a long way in mitigating the problem. We are trying to connect more doctors in different cities and create a network that will aid all those in need.”

Dr Kiran Kukreja has been tending to non-critical Covid patients in a community hall at Saket Court Residential Complex in Delhi.

Turn your attention to the community hall at Saket Court Residential Complex, and here’s Dr Kiran Kukreja tending to the non-critical Covid patients, with urgent care to those who have lowering oxygen levels. “Till they get transferred to a hospital, it’s important that they get some medical attention. And this seemed to be the best possible way in such times,” says Kukreja, who is working on shifts with another Delhi-based doctor, Dr Vinod Raina. She adds: “I received a request from the Residents Welfare Association to help with non critical members in the society, for they had a lot of infected people and a few casualties. To provide relief to the families, I opened the centre with round the clock nurses and doctors from my own team... Once a young girl was brought to me in a state of unconsciousness. We managed to stabilise her oxygen levels, till the time she could be referred to a hospital. This makes me happy. My family and friends worry about my safety, but I tell them – It’s our responsibility to help those in need.”

Not just on ground physical care, even over the telephone, doctors are voluntarily extending help to those in need. For patients who were finding it difficult to seek medical advice in these times, Gurugram-based Dr Rajan Taneja started providing free teleconsultation services, after his office hours. “People are in a state of panic because of the extent of the second wave of the pandemic. And many patients are not seeking proper medical advice due to the inability to move out or financial constraints. We do not want them to suffer because of lack of resources, and offer sound advice,” says Taneja, who is presently attending more than 50 callers everyday. He adds that he doesn’t stop there. “After finishing our shifts at the hospitals, my wife, sister-in-law and I offer consultation both on WhatsApp and calls, to Covid patients and pregnant women in particular, guiding them on the right course of action. I get tired, but helping others gives me a dopamine surge, a feeling of happiness and fulfilment. As doctors, this is all we can do today.”

Author tweets @bhagat_mallika

Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter