The World Health Organisation formally declared COVID-19 apandemic on 11th March 2020. As of today, the total number of confirmed casesin the world are way past 1 million and the deaths are nearing a lac, with over208 countries affected. At this stage, WHO does not recommend any medicines totreat or cure COVID-19. However, the ‘Solidarity trial’, led by WHO, is reviewingpotential treatments for COVID-19 and as of now over 70 countries have alreadyconfirmed about their contribution to the trial, with many others in theprocess of joining. So far, the only part of medicine being effectivelyrecommended and implemented is the preventive one, known to everyone as’Physical Distancing’.
The above excerpt was a brief summary of the course ofevents of our “Deadly Guest”, (read Super Virus, as it turned our world upsidedown overnight) from its arrival till it became the sole proprietor ofeverything that we once assumed was only ours.
What everyone has been doing till now?
I wouldn’t plunge into the details of the pathophysiologyand terminology related to this disease. Reason being that, by now confined tothe homes with so much time at hand and every newsfeed and every socialnetworking site flooded with the knowledge about this Virus and disease, Iassume everyone is well versed with more than what is required. Well, thanks totechnology, thanks to world digitalisation, thanks to the biggest man-madeblessing of the millennium, ‘Internet’. But, I somehow wonder do we stillcreate such things, is innovation still our realm? I believe in optimism, so Iwould hope that it still flows in our blood. For sure, there are brains capableof more than this, but the matter of concern is, do they still choose to workthese tough career choices, do they believe in the fact that their hard ( nomatter how small) efforts can make a big change to this world and itsbetterment? It troubles my mind to even think if the switch over of careers hasalready taken place. And then there is this weird voice in my head which rants,”why wouldn’t they choose a career that is safer, everyone has a right over hislife. Why wouldn’t they make a choice of work which earns them more money, whoanyways would want to work and sweat out for peanuts. Why wouldn’t they choosea profession which keeps intact their dignity and respects their differences,who would want to get stripped off his honour.” (remember this rant for thelater part of this article). This voice doesn’t bother me but what bothers memost is that it seems a possibility now.
Man has created mind boggling things. His discoveries are atestament to his unrelenting nature and perseverance. His research in areasthat seemed unfathomable once, is in itself proof of human epiphany. Hisdevotion towards humanity and dedication, not to only improve the human race,but to uplift it to the highest limits, is daunting. But, anyways never mind,this all is a history now. This is a thing of past, when man was a fool to worktirelessly and invest in tasks that yielded not much, except for his efforts,that turned this huge scattered world into one big global village (although ourhearts still remain divided by ego and envy, greed and maleficence) under theroof of technology, that it is for his efforts only, that the loss of millionsof lives every year to death, as a result of diseases which were thought to beinevitable earlier, is prevented now and yes, not to forget the years added topoor man’s heaven; the average life span, which was earlier merely 30-35 years,but now with the continuous efforts and advancement, it has been successfullyraised to 70-80 years on an average.
Man has evolved with time (if only you believe in the theoryof evolution itself), not only physically, but mentally way more than it shouldhave actually. Everything is interpreted through a fiscal language. Not that itis a cliché that is wrong, after all nothing comes for free. But what isintimidating is that in a bid to live by this language, he has ended up in overglamorization and tabloidism of every other institution, from movies to sports;from fashion to food; and what not, pushing to the wall in a dark corner, theonly backbone of this big world community, The Health System. How can abuilding not collapse, if its foundation is not strong. How can we expect atree to bear the harshness of all seasons, if its not timely nurtured well?
What we have learned so far?
This pandemic opened a Pandora’s box, but there are lessonstoo. Man who was proud of his pan supremacy over every living and inanimatething, exhibiting his higher intellectual capacity, is now caged within his ownlifeless castles with fear of every inanimate object lying around which once hethought was just dust of his creation. He sees no marvel in them but apprehendsa hidden doom. At the same time, man still is strong enough (read despicableand deplorable) to imbibe and spew the poison of hatred of every sort,overlooking the possibility that his body might die a rancid death (assumingthe soul has long died). This pandemic might be strong enough to erase thehumankind but it still can’t purify the same humankind of the disdain that runsin its veins.
As the conspiracy theories were going viral on social media,the novel virus was expanding its empire. There was so much to talk and readabout, like who in first place introduced this virus and then managed to escapeits wrath, while feeding the rest of the world to its savage. The internet wasabuzz with innovative eye-catching memes and videos related to pandemic. Thehype of change in the world order and the doomsday syndrome made the punchlines. The frenzy of anecdotal medicines and loathsome potions to cure Coronaalong with the panic shopping became a pandemic trend. Some calling it the testof faith and some trying to vent out by labelling it as a failure of science.The spree goes on and on.
But on a serious note, it showed the world a clear (thoughgloomy) picture of our forsaken health system. It prompts one to think andquestion (in case you are a medico yourself, like me, then it perturbs) if ourhealth care and medical system is standing where it was a century ago(pandemics of medieval period)? If instead of high tech ammunition, submarines,arsenals, fighter jets and nuclear bombs, world had invested in research,medical science, strengthening existing and creating new medicalinfrastructure, manufacturing masks, gloves and ventilators, would we be ableto avert this apocalypse? Would world had a better chance to make it through,if the left over of bounty distribution among other institutions, didn’t makethe share of heath system? Would world be a better place today, if nations hadspent the most towards the real life business rather than in reel worldsensationalism? How many times do you see a medical doctor on a TV show for anew surgical technique devised or a new breakthrough drug discovered? (Rememberthe earlier mentioned rant that would haunt my mind)?
This pandemic reflects on the step-motherly attitude towardsthis very system, with least spending on the sector, which deserves it themost. All that is left of our frail and limping health care system now, ismostly unending, selfless, determined attitude of doctors and other health careworkers. They are the actual show stealers (rather the show runners). Whilethey are on ground working, they not only put their lives at stake butjeopardise the well being of their families too.
This reminds me of my dear grandma, who used to say,”Medical Profession is a noble profession as doctors are angels, sent to savehumans.” But Alas! Most of this adage remains a theory now.
What world can do and probably must do?
Now that the world has been smitten by miniscule of anorganism (1 billionth our size), it sends a perilous signal to everystakeholder/individual, that man is not prepared for this invisible enemy(though we have expertise to slaughter our self-created visible ones), who ishell-bent to wipe off the whole human race. It galvanizes one to introspect on how this bias can now be dealt with.
It would make a good start to consider spending maximumpossible towards health care while cutting down on opulent commercial world.Health care system needs support as it apparently seems to be tumultuous. Howcan it be expected to manage saving the lives when it is itself crying out forhelp?
The other most important thing that it draws our attentiontowards is the need to revamp our old school, the school that virtually taughtus almost everything of what we know, following the framework of which we hadbeen able to make these marvellous achievements which were earlier unheard of;the old school of Research. From the dawn of civilization, research has remainedfundamental to every invention and discovery. It has always paved way to thecolossal revelations.
Lastly, leave the agendas and propagandas and invest in thisbeacon of life, which apparently seems to be the only hope for human well-being(unless we are struck by some divine miracle). Don’t demean the medicalprofession by making slanderous statements whose consequences you don’t evencomprehend. Don’t stigmatize it by proclaiming it to be just a job of bunch ofnerds, weirdos and naive people, for you wouldn’t sustain your flamboyance ifit was not us, who made ant-anxiety and anti-allergics. Don’t make us fight(something we are not good at) for the things that we are accredited to have bydefault, for we only know the art of healing.
Let all of us come out of the bubble of loss and benefit andput our cumulative efforts to find a cure that saves human kind before itbecomes history.
Dear world,
Wakeup, provide help and support, understand what we are dealing with and how you can all contribute, to save the human race and our world, lest everything slips off our hands.
From your loving Medical professional (always at work, at your service).