NATIONAL DOCTORS' DAY - COVID HIT INDIA and HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

 

National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 all across India. Doctors and their profession has always been an honourable profession but in the current times, each one of them deserves heart-felt admiration for their selfless dedication. The theme of Doctors’ Day for the year 2020 was to “lessen the mortality of COVID-19” and it is evident that they have left no stone unturned to lessen the mortality of the country. In order to achieve the goal, a lot of health workers, especially doctors kept their own problems in the back seat and responded to the global health crisis by keeping on their toes. Despite the shortage of resources, hectic working hours, lack of good quality personal protective equipment’s (PPE) and many such hurdles, they did not stop. While this pandemic has posed a very tough time for everyone, it has been the toughest for the front-line healthcare professionals. And they did their duty with full devotion and sincerity by putting aside their own anxiety, depression, insomnia and psychological distress. We are all indebted to them.

 

 

The second wave of the pandemic in April created a havoc and left everyone shocked, distressed and unprepared. The pressure on healthcare professionals multiplied exponentially but the doctors never shied away from their responsibilities. They kept attending to the ailing patients. A lot of lives were saved. At the same time, I will also acknowledge the fact that despite the medical treatment given by the doctors on the basis of their professional knowledge and available resources, a large number of patients could not be saved.

 

We might try to find faults here or there and blame one another but such occurrences are not man-made. I am not saying that all doctors must be rewarded or they are always right, but we must not forget that they have their own limitations as well. There is lack of resources, infrastructure, unpredictability of the virus and so on. No one knows much about this pandemic. Thus, we can't blame those who are at least making every possible effort to save us. Some incidents were very unfortunate and uncalled for where patients’ attendants and relatives created violence against doctors.

 

 

VIOLENCE AGAINST DOCTORS

 

Doctors, who are considered as second God on this earth, were mistreated even in hospital emergencies by attendants of patients across the country. Although the exact numbers of such cases are not readily available, there are a few blatant examples. In April 2020, two trainee doctors in New Delhi were allegedly assaulted by a neighbour who accused them of spreading the disease.  Two women doctors were injured in Indore when a 5-member team of health officials was pelted with stones in Taatpatti Bakhal area last year in April while they were trying to trace a person who had come into contact with a COVID-19 patient.

 

Lately, a doctor who runs a private hospital in Lucknow, was attacked by two miscreants. In one such instance, at the Manavta Curie Hospital in the Mubai Naka area, corporator was seen attacking and manhandling the doctors and staff. A visibly upset Asha worker, Krishnaveni in a video message which has gone viral, alleged that a group of health workers who had gone to Hegde Nagar in the city were gheraoed by some residents, their mobile phones snatched and all of them were abused. Reports of attacks on doctors and nurses have also come from the southern city of Hyderabad and the western city of Surat as well.

Report state that patients and relatives were found arguing and fighting with doctors even in an army hospital where ordinary man's admission is prohibited.  You can imagine when this was the condition in an army hospital, what would have been the condition of doctors and nursing staff in government civil hospitals, district hospitals outside.

 

Such incidents occurred in different countries of the world also. In some places of Mexico, health care workers were stigmatized as vectors of contagion because of their work. Some were assaulted, abused and ostracized. In the Philippines, attackers doused a nurse with bleach, blinding him. In Pakistan, a nurse and her children were evicted from their apartment building.

 

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR VIOLENCE

Disrespecting and manhandling doctors (who have been treating COVID-19 patients) has become regular feature during this pandemic. This is quite insensitive and inhumanly behaviour and should not been happening.  

 

There may be some factors which disappoints us all but we cannot take up violence as such. We know our health infrastructure is shaky. There is absence of adequate economic investment in health care facilities, absence of post graduate training in emergency medicine in India, poor quality of emergency care, poor mechanism for grievance redress, poor emergency network among hospitals, poor communication skills of health care workers, non-availability of essential medicines and equipment etc.

 

Healthcare accounts for only 1% of the GDP of India, which is far lower than countries with similar GDP. Private hospitals which have a great role in providing health care are commonly disorganized. All these factors cause dissatisfaction among the public and they take on their frustration onto doctors. In addition, the high expectations of the public and their perception that all services should be available for free, add to the problem. Furthermore, the negative image of doctors shown by the media is also an accountable factor that results in violence against doctors. The highest number of violence was reported at the point of poor emergency care and it calls for immediate action on the part of the government.

 

 NEED OF PROTECTION FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS

The incidents of violence against the doctors triggered outrage among the medical practitioners who have been at the forefront of the battle against the second wave of the pandemic. Doctors across India are battling hard in their personal as well as professional lives to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. They have become completely exhausted now. They are of the view that people don't realise that doctors are humans and they are struggling from morning to night just to make sure the patients are safe.

 

This alarming trend reinforces the need for improved measures to protect health care from acts of violence. Ensuring access to health services is the cornerstone of a successful health response. Any verbal or physical act of violence, obstruction or threat that interferes with the availability, access and delivery of such services is defined as attack on health care by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

 

Some national and local governments introduced new policies to protect health care, including in India where perpetrators are punishable with prison terms up to 7 years. Doctors’ associations across the world have also initiated talks with authorities to make their work environment safe from infections and to better protect health care providers outside the hospital. In Mexico, some cities have implemented dedicated transport services for health care workers after many were refused entry on public buses.

 

Doctors have welcomed the government’s decision to bring an ordinance as they have been facing the music since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is true that they have been fighting a difficult, unprecedented crisis. They have to bear the trauma of seeing patients die and suffer exhaustion from long hours of work. Many of the doctors could not see their families for a long time. Many of them reached home and saw their children and wives from a distance and came back on their duties. However, they are not sure as to how the regulation will be applied once the pandemic is over.

 

STRATEGIES TO COMBAT VIOLENCE

Some suggestions for reducing violence against healthcare staff are: posting security personnel at the hospital entrance should be compulsory. Confiscation of weapons before entering the hospital is important for security. Registration for all visitors at the reception should be mandatory. The number of bystanders should not be allowed more than two.  Warning as punishment under law for assaulting healthcare staff should be displayed on the walls of hospital. Every hospital has evacuation plan in case of major violence under creation of emergency protocol.

In addition to the above, imparting training on communication skills for healthcare staff will be of great help in reducing violence. A better and timely communication with the aggrieved patients and their family members is the key to avoid untoward incidences. Services of Councillors for emotional support should also be utilized to coordinate with attendants and relatives on a regular basis to allay any fears.

The current situation is also an interesting experiment in providing healthcare facility at home. This should be our future. Use of tele-health, may reduce the physical assault to the doctors to some extent. The thought of recording of the tele-medicine services may force the patients and their caregivers to behave properly and thus prevent verbal abuse and threats.

Now, the time has come to identify effective ways and means to improve and strengthen public health education and practice. This is necessary not only to educate the population about the importance of prevention of infection, hand hygiene in preventing communicable diseases prevalent in India but also the importance of various health care workers in delivering healthcare programmes

 

 

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE AND POOR HOSPITAL CONDITION

 

I can quote that many a times, medicines are not available in government hospitals. The Government must ensure sufficient supply of it. Several cases of medical negligence were reported in the government hospitals during pandemic due to lack of medicines. The government should give serious thought to it. Untrained staff looks after the medical system. What could be the result of this?  How can the shortcomings be removed?

 

Private hospitals were also engaged in looting Covid patients by billing them lakhs of rupees. This was one thing that was completely ignored by the government. It will not be wrong to say that some private hospitals have become man-eating. They are sucking the blood of the poor and leaving them in agony. The government should keep an eye on functioning of the private hospitals and on any complaint, strict action should be taken against them. Patients who can be cured without operation should not be forced to sign up for operations. 

Chanakya can be quoted here. He had rightly said, that corruption can be tolerated in any other field, but if there is even a trace of corruption in medical and education system, then no system will be left righteous and society will suffer a lot. If there is corruption in the field of medicine, it will never be tolerated and one will have to pay big price for it. In Ayurveda, greed is forbidden in every way. One has to suffer a lot in present life and in the next (re-birth) life as well. 

DOCTORS' DAY!

 

It is imperative for the doctors to follow the path of sincerity and devotion towards their profession. They are the backbone of our crisis response in this hour. They are the one who cannot be substituted. Medical profession is considered a noble profession because it helps in preserving life. We believe life is God given. Thus, a doctor figures in the scheme of God as he stands to carry out His command.

During the second wave of pandemic, we got a chance to see such doctors who without fear of catching infection; have given their services to save the lives of the patients.  Nearly, thousands of doctors across India have died due to Covid till date. The sacrifice of the doctors and healthcare personnel will be recognized earnestly. It is not easy especially for a pregant lady doctor to wear PPE kit and serve the patients in the hospital for a long period but they have done that also.

Doctors are special and this year is one where we have seen them as our real-life heroes. Doctor’s Day is an opportunity to thank all the heroes in the medical fraternity for their selfless contribution.

Best wishes to you on Doctor’s Day! You are doing a great job by curing illness of people and bringing them health and happiness. Wish you more success on Doctor’s Day! You are more than just a doctor.