E-Paper
National Doctors’ Day: Doctors who lost a loved one lead the Covid battle
In addition to the physical impact of being infected, doctors have also had to fight the emotional trauma of continuing to work without any leave, despite having a close relative infected with Covid-19
July 1, one is observed as National Doctors’ Day. As per the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country has lost 1,500 doctors to Covid-19 in the past one year. Pune IMA has said that it has lost four doctors to Covid-19.
Dr Sanjay Patil, chairman of the Hospital Board of India, Pune chapter, IMA said, “We have seen at least four doctors from Pune district who have succumbed to Covid-19. This Doctors’ Day we would like to pay homage to them, who despite being fully aware of the situation continued to work and treat Covid-19 patients. The four doctors who lost their lives are Dr Dilip Bhoge from Talegaon; Dr Sanjay Shelar from Pune city; Dr Bharat Tambe from Saswad; and Dr Nandkumar Shah, a private practitioner.”
In addition to the physical impact of being infected, doctors have also had to fight the emotional trauma of continuing to work without any leave, despite having a close relative infected with Covid-19.
Dr Patil said, “Dr Mukund Penurkar from Sanjeevan Hospital who lost his father to Covid-19 continued to work in the ICU ward without even a day’s leave. Such doctors inspire us to continue to serve patients in these trying times.”
Other examples are Dr Parag Sancheti, who lost his uncle to post Covid-19 complications and Dr Reema Kashiva, who had to treat her own family in hospital while attending to other patients.
Dr Parag Sancheti, chairman and orthopaedic surgeon from Sancheti hospital said, “Two months ago, my uncle - my father’s younger brother - got Covid-19. He was admitted to the Sancheti hospital for 20 days. He became Covid negative, but he passed away due to comorbidities as he had a heart condition. His demise was really traumatic for the entire family and the hospital which he had been an integral part of.”
He added, “At the time when my uncle was in hospital, there were many other Covid-19 patients who were also admitted. I was devastated due to my loss, but it was my duty to look after all other patients who were in the hospital. There are many doctors who have witnessed a loss of a family member during recent times, but they still continued treating patients. I have not done anything extraordinary. It is the duty of every doctor.”
Dr Reema Kashiva, an endocrinologist at Noble Hospital, said, “Around two months ago, my father, mother and brother were severely ill due to Covid-19. All were in Noble hospital and I was personally monitoring their treatment. My father was in the hospital for 37 days, of which 11 days he was in ICU. My mother was admitted for 30 days. Brother was admitted for three weeks. They all were fighting Covid-19.”
She said, “When all my family members were in the hospital, I was seeing around 80 patients in the ward and around 125 patients in OPD. The time was very tough for me. It was my test as a doctor and as a daughter and sister. While I was taking care of my family members, I was also continuously looking after hundreds of Covid-19 positive patients every day. I was working for 11 hours a day. I was just performing my duty. It was not just me, but all the doctors in our country were working like warriors in our fight against Covid-19.”
