Doctor And Doctors’ Day

Around the world, Doctors’ Day is celebrated, as we all recognize the contributions that doctors make in the community and to individual lives. Different countries do celebrate Doctors’ Day on different date and India celebrates it on 1st of July every year. The core purpose remains a unique thought that all nations make sure that those in the healthcare sector are appreciated and acknowledged. It is a day to acknowledge and celebrate doctors, surgeons, physicians for their role in ensuring highest sort of healthcare in a person – physically, psychologically, morally, socially and spiritually. The first time that Doctors’ Day was observed in the United States took place on the 30th of March back in 1933. Eudora Brown Almond, the wife of a doctor in Georgia, believed her husband and other physicians deserved more recognition for their hard work and set out to make this idea a reality. Almond mailed greeting cards to all local physicians and their wives, and she put flowers on the graves of deceased doctors. The flowers were red carnations, which would later become the representative flower for the Doctor’s Day.Moreover, the first ether anaesthetic was used for surgery on the 30th of March as well– that took place in 1842 and it was administered by Crawford W. Long, M.D. before an operation was carried out on a man’s neck to remove a tumor. I would like to express my kind gratitude, pay a grand salute and acknowledge the dedication and commitment of doctors towards our society. The role of doctors in our lives is revolutionary and I believe being a doctor, it is more important to bring revolution in the life of patients. Doctors are the warriors, who are always making relentless efforts towards providing the highest level of healthcare to patients to best of their knowledge irrespective of facing many odds and challenges in daily life. During the challenging times of COVID-19 pandemic, our doctors stand brave in managing the crisis. We lost many of them in battle against COVID-19 virus. Let us pay a tribute to all of those noble souls. I personally being a doctor by profession would feel proud and say that patients are the most important visitors to us. We are literally dependent on them and I believe it is a mutual benefit between a doctor and a patient. A doctor gets an opportunity to serve humanity and earn his livelihood by amusing his patients. Likewise a patient gets an opportunity to get himself treated and stay healthy and happy on visiting a doctor. I believe besides diagnosing and treating a patient, positive counselling of a patient by his doctor with immense care, concern and love during the course of treatment forms an important part in the line of his management. A patient is a noble teacher in the noble professional life of a medical doctor – to whom a doctor should be much empathic, sympathic and friendly.
Counseling a patient pragmatically forms an important part of managing his/her concerns/welfare. Getting into the shoes of a patient, developing empathy, sympathy, love, care and giving him/her hope in a state when he/she might be feeling hopeless/ emotionally down/ helpless because of the struggle he/she is going through – is the best way to bring revolution and positively impact the life of a patient. Every professional should have the prime motivation of creating a positive impact in the society and bring revolution in the lives of people. I would say that every proffesion is unique and dignified in itself and envisages with a core idea of service to humanity directly or indirectly through a unique way of professional approach, awareness and integrity.Whatever proffession you are in, your prime motivation should be to create an IMPACT (bring positive change/revolution in the life of someone). Suppose you are a doctor, a patient you received is bed-ridden, couldn’t do things that he could have done while being in health normally, his life gets shattered for a moment of life being ill. A doctor comes to amuse the patient and with the cure of God the patient gets off -bed and starts again a healthy life. The doctor by amusing the patient brings change/revolution in his (patient’s) life. A patient is the best noble teacher for a doctor other than the teacher who taught him in a medical school. A patient gives a doctor an opportunity to serve humanity, to please Almighty Lord and to teach him morally , practically and ethically. More often, I used to invest time in counselling patients and give them enough motivation to live life with a disease. When patient gives a hopeful smile at the end , that becomes the moment of my great satisfaction. I believe better communication skills and effective counselling acts as a strong pillar in developing trust in a doctor- patient relationship, besides improving the quality of life of the patient. A doctor should often question his conscience – to become more concerning, humanitarian and truthful towards his patient. I also believe that for any relationship to hold bond of strength, mutual understanding and trust for each other is very important. Whenever there happens any misunderstanding or distrust, disputes and conflict arises. Likewise is the doctor-patient relationship. Rising disputes, conflicts and violent acts are the result of distortion of this relationship. We need to repose trust on our doctors to strengthen this relationship and to avoid any kind of conflict.
(Dr. Tasaduk Hussain Itoo is Physician,Educator and Founder/Director J & K Innovative Foundation for Transforming Society –JKIFTS. Views are his own)
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