Give Rs 1 crore, martyr status to doctors who die: GMC Professor to Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh

PATIALA: Demanding the ‘martyr’ status for doctors losing their life to Covid infection and a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the kin, the Associate Professor, Pediatrics at Government Medical College, Patiala and International human rights activist Dr Harshinder Kaur has written a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and highlighted the plight of doctors who had to pack up the Covid dead bodies themselves when the class 4 employees shirked from performing their duty.
Besides highlighting the shortage of medicines, oxygen and protective equipment, Dr Harshinder wrote that doctors have cleaned up the patients, picked up the beds and oxygen cylinders and provided food and drinking water to serious patients.
The letter adds that doctors have to work in abysmal conditions and even drinking water is not available to them at times and the patients are also deprived of the same.
She said the doctors are fighting this battle like soldiers and will continue to do so in the future too. “I want to bring to your notice that in some cases where the sick parents were deserted by their children, the doctors have taken upon themselves to treat them. The shortage of essential medicines, Oxygen and protective equipment has not been able to desist us from putting our best foot forwards.”
Calling May 18, 2021 as a black day for medical fraternity of Rajindra Hospital that lost a young Dr Rajan in the fight against Covid, “He was a surgeon working in the isolation wing and was diligently taking care of Covid patients.
He sacrificed his life in the line of duty. Many others like him have lost their lives in similar circumstances and many have been afflicted with Covid more than twice. Some of them have also lost their parents to the disease.
These doctors have been working untiringly and without any complaint for the last two years. Some of them did not receive their salary for six months but they have continued to trudge on nonetheless”, she said in the letter to CM.
She added, “The safety and security of doctors should be ensured. Unable to bear the loss of life of their near and dear ones, the attendants often take the law into their hands and doctors are targeted unfairly. The war against Covid cannot be won without doctors.”
“We have worked tirelessly day in and out, not paid attention to our food and rest periods in an endeavour to save precious lives. The medical fraternity is facing the brunt of negativity in social media because of deficiencies at the government level.
The dependents of the expired patients are unable to come to terms with the untimely deaths of their loved ones and often their frustration is wrought upon us for none of our fault. The toxic state of affairs is creating negativity in the minds of doctors who have not been able to visit their families for long.