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'On Doctors' Day, I salute members of medical fraternity': Venkaiah Naidu
The Doctors' Day is celebrated in honour of noted doctor and former West Bengal chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy. Leaders cutting across political lines congratulated the doctors on the occasion.
Doctors have emerged as the first line of defence in the fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. From diagnosing the infection to administering the vaccine, they have played a life-saving role at the time of crisis.
Honoring the profession, India celebrates July 1 every year as 'National Doctors' Day'. The tradition was started by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
The Doctors' Day is observed in the honour of noted doctor and former West Bengal chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy. He was born on July 1, 1882 in Patna city, Bihar.
“On this Doctors' Day, I salute all members of the medical fraternity for rendering selfless service and working round-the-clock to save others' lives by risking their own,” Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said in a post on Twitter.
The Vice President further appealed to people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour and ease the pressure on the medical fraternity as the pandemic has put tremendous stress on doctors and their families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many other ministers and politicians also wished the doctors on this day.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been hard on doctors and paramedical staff, who braved the raging infection to render service to those in need. As many as 730 doctors have succumbed to the novel coronavirus infection during the second wave, according to data made available by IMA in mid-June.
Bihar saw the maximum number of 115 such deaths, followed by Delhi at 109, Uttar Pradesh 79, West Bengal 62, Rajasthan 43, Jharkhand 39, and Andhra Pradesh 38, the data showed.
According to the IMA, 748 doctors died in the first wave of the pandemic.
This year is once again dedicated to all those doctors and healthcare professionals who are serving in these trying times by risking their lives either in primary or secondary care setups and in dedicated Covid care facilities. Doctors have to show empathy towards patients and their relatives while also detaching themselves emotionally to work in a professional manner.
