What is worse than being at death’s door? Undoubtedly, it is to watch a loved one being there. It is the feeling of utter helplessness that crushes you like a ton of bricks. People who have been there are quite often scarred for life.
I have seen people beg God for one boon. Just one. A kiss of life, please, for a loved one. At that moment it does not matter to them whether they are asking it in a temple, mosque, gurdwara, fire temple or church. It is often life that divides us. Death, strangely, unites us under its dark, heavy blanket of grief. With Covid-19 having claimed around 1.31 lakh lives in India, my thoughts and prayers are with the grieving families.
It is against this backdrop that your favourite newsweekly brings you the annual health care special issue, backed by THE WEEK-Hansa Research Survey of India’s best hospitals. We have looked at leadership and learnings in the medical field. Irrespective of when they had finished their medical education, all medical personnel worldwide were schooled by Covid-19. A crash course packed with learning and unlearning. We try to find out the wisdom gathered by the Class of 2020.
In the lead story, Special Correspondent Namita Kohli talked to several top doctors to collate their personal learnings. Deputy Photo Editor Bhanu Prakash Chandra spent time in Apollo Hospital, Chennai, to show you life in a Covid-19 ward. Senior Correspondent Pooja Biraia Jaiswal put together the story of how hospitals were changed by the pandemic. Dr Jame Abraham shared his experience from Cleveland Clinic, where he is professor and chairman of the department of haematology and medical oncology. All doctors we spoke to were together on the opinion that every process from triage to handling of dead bodies had to be revised and audited. And all this had to be done while the invisible enemy was wreaking havoc worldwide.
Even among medical professionals there were special forces. While their colleagues and friends put in their papers and took cover, these women and men waded into battle, refusing to cede ground and refusing to give up on the infected. It is thanks to their grit that many have gone back home hale and hearty. For this abiding dedication to duty, friends, please accept my love and heartfelt gratitude.
This year we are taking the survey a step further with an online awards ceremony and webinar on November 23, from 11am to 1pm. Do register and listen to the top medical minds in the country. Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS, New Delhi, will deliver the keynote address. The panel discussion will feature Dr Santosh Shetty, CEO of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Research Institute; global health advocate Dr Bobby John; Dr H. Sudarshan Ballal, chairman of Manipal Hospitals; and Dr Naresh Trehan, chairman and chief cardiac surgeon at Medanta-The MediCity. Do scan the QR code to register.
As the year draws to a close in less than 45 days, I feel that we have all earned a medal each. For being survivors in a pandemic like no other. It does not mean that we can be casual or careless. Eternal vigilance, as they say, is the price of freedom.