Salute to Corona warriors, Indian Health Professionals battle against COVID-19

Worrisome war has broken out across the world. This time the war is not being fought in the frontiers by the soldiers and combat forces but inside the nation’s immune system.

Without a bullet fired more than 3 lakh people succumbed to their co-morbidities. You might have by now construed about the war that I am trying to bring to your notice. Yes it is COVID-19.

Narrating about the war but not citing the warriors – the discussion is incomplete. Since the dawn of history many brutal battles have been fought and won by the armed forces but time has not noticed such a lethal war where winning and losing the battle entirely relies upon the medical practitioners. Like a soldier they have braced upon the battle without caring about their life and their family members.

Even if they now survive in this lethal and mortal virulent attack, it can be a disaster for them in near future, however they have not bothered and have stood their position without pondering much. Their contribution for the nation and society needs much more applauds and accolades than ever before.

A soldier tussles in a war with all his weapons and ammunitions but the doctors, nurses and para-medicos were not prepared and protected as the enemy was not a person but a virus with ever mutating nucleotides. Government is spending a hefty sum, in crores for its defence forces and gives it a top most position in yearly budget. But when it comes to health service in a country like India, it still languishes at bottom.

The lackadaisical nature of the service has posed many questions but have few answers. Studies and Survey reveal that in India, there is one government doctor for every 10,189 people (the World Health Organisation recommends a ratio of 1:1,000) implying a deficit of 6, 00,000 doctors. The nurse: patient ratio is 1:483, implying a shortage of two million nurses. India today needs twice as many doctors as are available, three times as many nurses and four times as many paramedics.

The study found that, generally, countries that spend more on health per capita and had better health systems scored higher on the HAQ index. According to a report by the Journal, India spends just 1.4% of its GDP on health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that countries should spend 4-5% of their GDP on health to achieve universal healthcare.

Here the miseries of the health-workers do not end as the patient–doctors ever eroding relationship and violent attacks on doctors needs a better treatment from the Governments. According to a study by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), more than 75% of doctors have faced physical or verbal violence during their lifetime. Our doctors face verbal abuse almost every day.

Similarly Trust deficit between doctors and patients is also gradually becoming a concern, with rising violence against doctors. 90% of patients want doctors to listen to them in great detail during the first consultation. 80.4% patients want the doctor to explain in detail about the drugs, investigations and the treatment.

With all these shortcomings doctors and paramedics do not stay behind but put themselves in the corona peril in these recent times. Ever since the onset of the corona virus outbreak, amid the fear and panic surrounding the novel virus, there have been an alarming number of attacks on healthcare professionals across India.

While the front line workers are putting their lives at risk and fighting the outbreak head-on, many people across the country are not valuing the healthcare workers’ immense efforts and life.

Many such instances come across from all over the India, like the pelting of stones, assaulting ASHA worker with boiling rice water and the tortures and abuses does not end here –  a person bites and bruises a doctor’s ear as he wants the intruder to follow a proper discipline in a hospital in Odisha.

Doctors who are working at different hotspots across the globe such as China, Italy and USA have not left their jobs and duties but put-themselves in immense threat to save people from the pandemic COVID-19.

Now the question arises whether the Government is doing enough for the warriors? Are they fully equipped and protected to battle hard against the virulent attack. Definitely Government has taken a slew of measures like advance salaries, alluring life insurances and some stringent measures to save medicos from mob violence and attack.

But this measure seems to be a situation based make-shift arrangement rather than a full term protection and respect for their unparalleled contribution in these tough and torrid times.

Doctors in India are highly rated in the world and work for long hours under stressful conditions, grappling with a huge load of patients. It is the duty of State to ensure the safety and security of doctors who in turn assure that the healthcare needs of society are met. As no vaccines are around the corner and with ever augmenting Covid-19 cases day by day, the time has come to protect the protector with full admiration and gumption to make the nation disease free.