Doc-turned-cop plays double role to help Covid patients

Ranchi/Koderma: Superintendent of Police of Koderma district, Ehtesham Waquarib, in course of discharging his duties of enforcing law and order is often seen extending advice and treatment to patients, particularly Covid-19 patients in need. Only a few know that before donning the khaki uniform he had earned degrees and acquired the white apron.
Waquarib holds an MBBS and MD degree in community medicine and often enters the Covid-19 hospital to provide consultation to patients admitted there. A 2015 batch IPS and an alumnus of Jawaharlal Medical College under Aligarh Muslim University, he has passion for both medicine and administration.
Talking to TOI, Waquarib said, “I started this as I felt that every single hand which can help our healthcare workers matters as they are overburdened. My family members and I were infected in April and my mother was in ICU for quite some time. When my mother was in hospital I was looking after her along with other doctors and this motivated me and I decided that I can do it for other patients too.”
Adding further, Waquarib said he discussed the treatment protocols with his medico friends as well as doctors in his district after which he decided to treat patients. “I almost did take training for a week with doctors in Koderma on treatment protocols as it was changing every now and then. Apart from that I also spoke to my friends who were treating Covid-19 patients at different centres after which I consulted patients at our district hospital,” said Waquarib.
The senior IPS officer had also led the surveillance team during the first wave when he was posted as SP (rail) in Jamshedpur GRP after he was requested by the then DC of East Singhbhum Ravi Shankar Shukla when he became aware of his educational qualifications.
Patients who were consulted by Waquarib were an excited lot as they said that it was an experience in itself to be treated by someone who was donning a uniform.
“I hadn’t seen a doctor treating patients in ‘khakhi wardi’ until now. For me it was a pleasant surprise when the SP himself asked me about my problems and advised accordingly,” said Lakshman Ram (55) a resident of Herno village under Chandwara police station limits who is admitted at the ICU of the district Covid hospital, where the SP is visiting and treating patients.
Adding further, Lakshman said, initially he did not realise that the man inside the uniform was a doctor but when he came to know that the man is a doctor-turned-IPS, it changed his feelings towards him. People generally get scared after seeing police but after seeing such police officers, one should start believing that kind hearts beat under uniforms too.”
Another patient Ram Prasad Ram (55), a resident of Lohdanda under Koderma police station limits, said: “It was a pleasant experience to see the SP treating Covid-19 patients in the ICU ward of the hospital. This kind of a gesture will not only lift police’s image in society but also act as a catalyst in boosting morale of doctors and healthcare workers.”