Martyrs of COVID-19
Losing lives on the frontline
Earlier this month I was invited as a Chief Guest for a webinar that saluted the spirit of doctors who became martyrs during the course of COVID-19. It got me thinking about the struggle we’ve seen as a medical fraternity in the last one year. I believe no one should have to risk their lives or health because of their work, but that’s a choice each one of us make — every single day. Doctors, nurses, assistants, technicians, maushis, administrators, volunteers, drivers, and more — fresh on the job or retired — gave it all, and continue to do so during this fight.
We are all in the midst of a war. War against natural calamity and a raging war against time, and the warriors in this fight are our front line health care workers and doctors. We are the ones who are getting exposed to the virus at all times and the chance of getting an infection is relatively high. Without caring much about ourselves, we treat patients everyday. Doctors all across the globe are doing the same thing today that a soldier does when fighting for the safety of their motherland and its citizens.
In fact, the duty to treat during an epidemic is not just a modern idea of the twenty-first century. For most of human history, doctors have always put a brave front in the face of widespread contagion. Be it the widespread HIV infection or even TB. Innumerable healthcare workers including medical residents, nurses or even technicians have gotten infected by tuberculosis while treating their patients. Deaths related to this go unaccounted probably. Can you imagine how much effort the junior doctors and the nurses must have put in to overcome the fear of contacting it themselves , and how much counseling must have gone through ?
But when it comes to martyrdom — the pandemic has taken a huge toll. During the event, my mind went back to the definition of martyrs — it amounts to ‘a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle.’ In India, we have a rich tradition of honouring our brave hearts who fight for the country and acknowledge their supreme sacrifice. A martyr status is the ultimate mark of respect a country can give a bereaved family.
To put it in perspective, the Indian government offers monetary assistance to next of kin of battle casualties. This assistance is provided in addition to liberalised family pension, financial assistance from Army group insurance, Army Welfare Fund and ex-gratia amount. This is in addition to numerous healthcare benefits they are provided with. Can’t this much respected status of martyrdom be given to frontline warriors in the form of doctors as well?
You may well be aware of the rising numbers of COVID-19 we saw worldwide, but headlines from distant countries and states do not capture the horrors we saw as doctors in the critical care unit. It was a whirlwind of emotions: the anxiety, the fear, the overwhelming responsibility, and the ethical burden of hard decisions. But the other side of the coin remains true — dedication, bravery and compassion shone through too. There were times the healthcare warriors were drained out physically and emotionally , probably making them more prone to contract the disease.
According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), 625 modern medicine doctors have sacrificed their lives in the service of the nation for COVID care. (Data on AYUSH doctors not available.) As the virus spread, a number of doctors started providing treatment for which we had little data, while others started contributing their knowledge and offered their assistance on potential research. It was a time when healthcare workers began working tirelessly to care for patients.
Short shifts turned into longer ones, there were times when we worked many hours without any breaks or days off, and not seeing our families in order to keep them protected. This became even more dramatic when our colleagues fell ill, thus obliging us to work even harder. There was even a time when so many healthcare workers faced a shortage of masks, shields, glasses and protective suits.
Amidst all the scare surrounding the deadly COVID-19, there continue to be a few brave hearts who aren’t shying away from risking their own lives in order to save others. The real stories of such brave hearts are indeed inspiring. In fact even Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “As much as we remember with gratitude the sacrifices of our freedom fighters, the nation is indebted to all doctors, nurses and healthcare workers for being frontline warriors during COVID-19.”
At this event, organised by Mankind Pharma, several brave hearts who lost their lives were commemorated. In fact, each and every one of them were innovators in their field, well-known in the community and with plenty of experience to back them. They were involved in social causes such as education at the grassroots level. As highly respected social entrepreneurs, they were lauded for their hard work and passion. My heartfelt salute to each and every one of them.
When I look back, I know like many others, I went into medicine because I wanted to help others. I had a deep desire to positively impact peoples’ lives, was fascinated by the human body, and was passionate about learning. I went into medicine with my eyes wide open, and yet, I was not prepared for the toll that this pandemic would take on me and my peers. I hope in future the healthcare ecosystem becomes so strong that doctors will not need to become martyrs but will be able to carry out their duties safely and respectfully.
Summing it up, if I were to put my thoughts into words, I would say — “I don’t want to be a martyr for my family or society at large. I want to be a model — someone who puts her duty towards mankind above all else. As a doctor, there can be no bigger honour.”
