On National Doctor's Day, Rahul Gandhi interacts with Indian nurses battling COVID

Guwahati: Doctors are working tirelessly and selflessly to ensure our welfare so thank them every day but especially today. 1st July is commemorated as The National Doctor's Day in the honor of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, a former Chief Minister of West Bengal and a well-known physician.

Dr. Roy was born on July 1, 1882, and was honored with the country's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, on February 4, 1961. The effort and sacrifice of the doctors in India and abroad since the start of the pandemic shall be lauded for times to come.

Celebrating Commemorating National Doctor's day, Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader, and Lok Sabha MP, had a dialogue with Indian nurses who have been working in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and India as frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rahul Gandhi started by thanking them for their contribution and expressed the pride that the citizens of the country collectively feel for them. He further asked them to share their experience revolving around the pandemic.

Narendra Singh who belongs to Rajasthan and is currently working in New South Wales, Australia recalls, "When this Covid-19 started, we initially thought this is a simple flu. We thought this flu is killing more people than COVID. We didn't take it seriously. When it started rolling over, and we saw the news in Italy that the death toll is rising higher and higher, then we thought that this is not the flu, that this is serious."

Vipin Krishnan, who is currently working in Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), raised the concern of the difference in the pay given to nurses in private and government hospitals. During the course of sharing their experiences, the nurses highlighted that testing patients is important and challenging as well. They highlighted the importance of hand hygiene and wearing PPE kits.

Gandhi concluded the session by expressing his gratitude to the doctors who are on the frontlines, fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.