COVID AND DOCTORS, SILENT, SELFLESS SERVICE AT WHAT COST
COVID has affected us in many ways. We understand the terrible suffering of people because we have seen them and felt them.
But there is a slow destruction of surgical system and other specialities which are required for society. And many doctors especially non medical have become jobless or are having pay cuts at individual level. Doctor has become a high end labourer in this pandemic.
Many students ,house surgeons and postgraduates are being used in Covid care and are not paid in more than 90% of Centre’s. I know many who are infected twice and in spite of vaccination because they work in high viral load Centre’s. They stay away from family, have meagre food and are serving selflessly. So also many consultants who are non physicians and non pulmonologists are asked to do duty in Covid and only then they will be paid otherwise they have to face 50% to 75% cuts. What is the fault of them if a center is converted to Covid center and non COVID patients stop coming there affecting their earnings,I know many who are fired. Unfortunately we don’t have any association that takes care of us. And some just don’t exist for us.
True doctors should serve in this hour of need. But what is being done for them pains us.
They should be given free health and life insurance by government. 20% of fees collected by COVID centre’s should be used for the doctors who suffer from Covid while serving, help if their parents, spouse or children are affected, they should be treated free of cost in respective Centre’s.
WE pray Hon. PM Ji and respective HON. CM’s to give adequate insurance and pay compensation to the families affected.
Biggest setback that has happened during this pandemic is NO TRAINING to students and postgraduates especially in surgical and non pulmonologist specialities. Tomorrow what expertise have we given to a general surgery student if he has not seen an appendicectomy in last two years. And this is happening in Neuro, CT, Onco, Cardio and so many other fields. Once pandemic is stable it is a dreaded feeling of what has happened to our dear students. There is a need to segregate hospitals into Covid and NON COVID and continue training every student in the choice of their subject. Hope our government and experts look into this destruction of students pursuit of other specialities.
Many doctors are suffering while serving Covid cases with no one to look after them. I remember when I had Covid, I had to wait for 3 hours in a Covid center for a so called consultation but at the end a nurse came sand handed me the prescription slip. Treatment was advised to me on WhatsApp,I still have those messages. I know many young surgeons losing their life in this war, just two days ago a reputed young surgeon from a district near Hyderabad ad. was lost in this battle. And we have lost experienced seniors who didn’t stop their practice of helping patients. 30 to 40% of doctors are affected and why not PENSION or COMPENSATION like soldiers who fight in war. Are doctors not serving people. People are avoiding HOSPITALS for a single day with fear of getting infected BUT a doctor goes to the hospital daily, sees patients, treats them, covers their body with suffocating respirator or masks and sweaty scrubs or PPE’s, comes back home ,takes bath WITH FEAR in mind when their family members, children or parents will be infected because of his or her being a doctor. That’s the WORLD WE DOCTORS are living NOW.
So many are losing their lives in serving the needy those surviving are living at the COST OF NON COVID TRAINING and a RISK TO FAMILY. I pray for them and HOPE our government, corporate sector and hospitals they are working take care of them, provide life insurance and donate their earnings for basic needs like education of children and food ration and create pension for those who have or are serving Covid cases.