13. ATTACK ON DOCTORS

One fine evening, as I was cleaning my room, found a scroll which read,
I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity.
I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due.
I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity.
The health of my patient will be my first consideration.
I will respect the secrets which are confided in me.
I will maintain by all means in my power the honour and noble traditions of the medical profession.
My colleagues will be my brothers and sisters.
I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patients.
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception.
Even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity.
I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour.
It was a roll reading the Hippocratic oath taken by every budding doctors.
Hippocratic oath got me to thinking of my sister, Mishti
Memories with her wrath for the sole reason that I had failed to attend her big day. A deep pause for about 10 days prevailed between us.
Bearing the brunt of it was the only thing left now.
After continuous efforts and gifts, she somehow got convinced.
But while I remembered this, another incident crossed my mind.
(scene goes into flashback, 2020)
It was testing times for doctors too, as already more than a year had passed by struggling yet loving what we were doing.
At the same time few incidences bewildered us.
While I was trying to a break during my quarantine, my sister called up and was furious –
“Have people lost it? Why are few acting reckless?”
I interrupted her in between,
“Hang on Puta. Why are you losing out on your patience? What is the issue?”
Her voice was filled with dejection and infuriation.
She retorted, -
“Since the time pandemic has stepped in our lives, especially the health sector has seen a fair amount of fear, indecision and apprehension.
People are also anxious in an unprecedented fashion.
Health care professionals around the world are dedicating enormous amount for work to serve humanity.
Atmosphere is filled with mixed emotions of uncertainty and distress.
It just boils my blood to see abuse and ostracism against doctors, nurses and other frontline workers which is increasing exponentially.
This seemed to look like an epidemic during pandemic.”
Had never seen her so angry at a professional level.
Well, she was right at her end!
Indian doctors are teetering on the brink of a major silent crisis, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which is detrimental for the growth of the society in the coming times.
I was giving an ear to her in silence.
Because, righteousness was her inborn nature and would always fight for injustice.
“Always by your side, as I know that your stance is always correct.
Definitely, even though many reactionary and steadfast measures have been taken for snowballing the security to doctors at workplace, attacks and assaults are happening in broad daylight.
Strict medical laws are the need of the hour”
I also recapped her about a quote which she had told me that she had read in a Medical Journal from United States of America.
“No physician, however conscientious or careful, can tell what day or hour he may not be the object of some undeserved attack, malicious accusation, black mail or suit for damages….”
“Do you recall of this amaaziiiii….”,
just as I was to finish my sentence, she continued as usual, unapologetically,
“People were distressed during lockdown phase of pandemic.
Since the time news of unlock has been doing rounds, social media is floated with images and stories of people continuing with their lives forgetting that COVID 19 was an example from past.
Number of cases could be simulated to a game of snake and ladder.
Once a rise in cases.
And the very next day a drastic dip in the number.
The same could be attributed to mortality rates.
These statistics were mere numbers for people, but not much has changed for doctors; and health care sector in particular.
That is the core reality!
One more heart wrenching situation is doctors and other support staff have not visited their parents, hugged them and cared for them.
Aren’t they too humans?
Nurses, no less than any doctor, were asked to vacate houses.
Assaults and abuses were reported in broad daylight even when they have sacrificed all they have to serve community.
No less than blood, sweat and tears.
My colleague’s wife working in another hospital was a first-hand experience for this assault.
People have been still irresponsible and negligent towards seeking treatment for this viral attack.
A patient around 35-year-old was admitted in the hospital for COVID treatment. His oxygen saturation was fairly around 85% along with other comorbidities.
Alas, the only breadwinner of the family of his parents, wife and two small kids.
We were closely monitoring him closely, but suddenly saturation dropped sown to 40%.
My shift changed and I had to cater to other patients. Next day we heard that the patient had passed away.
As the saying goes by, expect the unexpected – the miserable close circle of the deceased was distressed.
The fear and uncertainty of COVID patients and their near and dear ones, during this intense pandemic situation has led to suspicion of doctors becoming prey for these kind of casualties on medical staff.
Discontented and hysterical patients, restless relatives, distorted relationship between doctor and patient, media cry and negative journalism could be one of the prime causes of violence on doctors.
It has turned out to be close to a global phenomenon and plummeting of trust in doctors is the root cause.
In addition, increases education among patients, access to internet and Google baba.
A small headache when googled for cause might lead to brain tumor. These frame ingredients for a fiery recipe for disaster.
However, these events put the medical community in a state of fear and regret for choosing a career when the society does not support them.
A majority of doctors are now unwilling to motivate their children to pursue this profession, once revered by the society not too long ago.
It has been about a year since the pandemic broke out and none of us had ever witnessed such level of misery in our entire lives.
The crippling second wave of COVID has overwhelmed the hospitals and has kept the crematoriums blazing.
This pandemic has impacted all of us. It has been a very rough year for all the frontline workers.
The amount of stress we are going through is immeasurable, be it physical or mental.
Still, we are showing up at work every single day.
We start our shift discussing the clinical condition of each patient, getting their relevant blood and radiological investigations done and corelating them clinically to decide a treatment plan and modifying it according to the patient’s response.
No relative of the patient is allowed inside the Intensive Care Unit.
So, time to time update of their beloved is given to them over a telephone call.
We are serving our patients in this crisis with all that we have.
Doctors today across the country are understaffed and overworked!
They are forced to stay away from their families as the fear of infecting them with the virus, lingers in their mind.
Many of my fellow doctors have even lost their loved ones but are still serving the covid patients.
While donning or stepping inside the PPE kit, we too are scared, thinking about our own families, whether we will be able to meet them again or not.
Even we never thought that we will face such a crisis!
Keeping all the negative thoughts aside and gathering all the might, we step inside the ICU.
This year we are witnessing the second wave of the pandemic.
The current wave us massive in terms of number of cases, moderate to severe disease, ICU admission and patients requiring ventilator support.
And more so that the death among young adult age group is increasing compared to first wave where mortality among old age group was more.
The second wave came with a lot of chaos in public health sector, just as a smaller number of hospitals, COVID dedicated beds, COVID dedicated ICU facilities, oxygen crisis, less availability of drugs such as Remdesivir or Tocilizumab.
We work in a setup where seven COVID dedicated ICUs are functional along with COVID wards, emergency department which deals with emergency cases with positive patients and COVID dedicated OT’s. out shift usually lasts for 12 to14 hours.
Even when at home we receive regular updates of patients in ICU and wards.
It is painful to see the suffering amongst patients and their death is much more painful to us.
Last year, this scenario was not usual.
But this time, it is extreme!
It is really painful and distressing to see people losing their kith and kin. We are working round the clock for patients.
As most of us live away from our families, it increases the stress and panic among us too.
Our health care system needs an introspection and rejuvenation, because despite regular alarms it nearly collapsed this time.
Don’t you think, Anna?
But still managed to survive, just because of the efforts of medicos and frontline workers.
It should be more equipped, more available to common public of the nation and should be free of political influence.
This time, we also saw patient’s mental wellbeing getting affected.
Imagine someone who has never been to any hospital, suddenly lands up in one of COVID ICU’s, witnessing other patients collapsing and getting CPR.
What a horrible sight that would be for them!
Condition would have been miserable!
One such patient was 30-year-old Mr. Vipin.
He was diagnosed with sever COVID infection, but more than the infection, his fear and panic were taking a toll on his health.
As there are no family members to talk to, it becomes our responsibility to console the patients, connect with them emotionally and give motivation to stay calm and positive.
It is difficult for us too, watching a patient of nearly your age struggling for breath shakes you to the very core.
I would personally sit with him after finishing all my work, console him and help him fall asleep amidst the chaotic ICU environment.
His body was not responding to the treatment as expected. His lungs were severely damaged by the infection.
Despite all our efforts his condition worsened and we could not save him.
Demise of such young patients leave us in a state of grief.
Physically exhausted.
Mentally drained.
Emotionally overwhelmed.
Yet we show up for work, but why?
What is it that makes us reach the hospital again?
It is for the patients who are getting better.
We know how helpless and scared our patients are, and that we are only ones they look up to.
During this pandemic, we connected with each of our patients on a much deeper level, listening to their stories, sharing each other’s experiences and creating a bond that makes everything else less stressful.
748 doctors have lost their lives in first wave. And more that 400 doctors in the second wave. And the count might go on and on.
Every single day at work is like a battle for us.
A battle against an enemy, we cannot see. A battle fought not just doctors, but nursing staff, technicians, sanitation workers, and others, by staying at home.
They should not doubt our battle harder for us by doubting and pulling us down.
We, the frontline workers are giving it that all we have.
So, I feel that the next time when they are about to abuse or trash us,
KINDLY STOP AND ASK YOURSELF, DO WE REALLY DESERVE THIS?”
I felt Mishti was absolutely right. We were not given due credit before, not now, I doubt in future.
“All what you told is precise. I also read a poem somewhere online which depicted the agony of doctors.
It read, -
My blue is not your blue.
Your blue is the clear sky,
Or the waves of the calming seas.
Your blue is someone’s mesmerising eyes.
Or perhaps the winter breeze.
My blue is my second skin
My work wear, my prickly scrubs.
My blue is on the desktop screens
At the doctors’ and nurses’ hub.
My blue flows through my pens
And scribbles medicines on charts.
My blue is the gloves, the needles.
The syringes and the plastic carts.

Your red is not my red.
Your red is a garden of roses in bloom.
Or the carpet that your film stars walk.
Your red is the dress you wear
Or the lips that glow when you talk.
My red is blood that flows out.
Through the arteries and veins
Or the red lights, the alarms and bleeps
Of the monitors or ambulance vans.
My red is the pricks and scars,
The bruises and the bumps I get,
As I try to save the breaths,
Of strangers that I had never met.

Your white is not my white.
Your white is a wedding gown,
Or the marvels of the snow.
Your white is a scoop of ice cream,
Or perhaps the diamond necklace’s glow.
My white is the shroud I hate,
Or ‘Propofol’ that I love so much.
My white is the generic pill,
Or the cotton swabs you seldom touch.

My yellow is not your yellow.
Your yellow is the sombre sun,
Or the daffodils in your yard.
Your yellow is the summer drink,
Or the minion on your landyard.
My yellow is a sign of,
Failing liver in your eye,
Or your urine telling me that,
Your kidneys are about to die.

My colours are not your colours.
My rainbow is different too,
So don’t mind me saying it,
My blue is not your blue.

What an insightful story of the life of struggling doctors. Hail praises to us!
True story that was!
Ok. Let’s do what is in our control as of now. Work for the betterment of humanity to avoid the super spread.
Cya….”
(scene shifts to 2030)
Pihu was so hurt listening to this once as I had narrated to her.
She told, -
“How inhumane of them to be doing this? Hope God gives them some sanctity of at least not harming fellow humans.”
My Pihu is so intelligent for her age, proved it yet again.