Lawmakers and Doctors Bat for Better Readiness as a Fitting Tribute to Corona Warriors at the Maiden ‘Gratitude Week’

New Delhi MP Smt Meenakshi Lekhi promises to propose the memorial in the next Parliament session; says she will write to the PM 

●        Smt Lekhi was the Guest of Honour today.

●        Prof. Ravi Kant, Director, AIIMS, Rishikesh emphasized on increased expenditure to 5% and ensure medical services reach every nook and corner to fight the next outbreak.

●        The week-long event is a first-of-its-kind live web show with 100+ speakers, including some of the best doctors in India and top leaders of the healthcare industry who will address an audience size of more than 10,000 throughout the 60-hour-long engagement.

●        The event is a tribute to entire healthcare ecosystem and its unsung heroes who help in healthcare delivery to the people and will continue till 7th July, 2020. 

New Delhi, 3^rd July, 2020: Hailing the phenomenal leadership during the pandemic crisis and the dedicated of corona warriors, lawmakers and doctors at the ‘Gratitude Week – A Tribute to Health Guardians’ by Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council today continued to support the idea of a memorial and said that preparedness for the next outbreak will be the right tribute to them.

“Every lawmaker was asked to provide ration to about 30,000 people which was a difficult task due to the lockdown. We have managed to reach a few lakh people and it would not have been possible without the help of corona warriors. We have the confidence to serve the people due to these corona fighters who have put their heart and soul in the service. Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while mothers give birth, doctors ensure our rebirth. I agree – they are our first contact and we share a long emotional relationship throughout life. Both mothers and doctors serve us with care and compassion. I thank IHW Council for organising this event and you’ve my word for the memorial – I will write to the PMO and Home Minister’s Office at the earliest,” says Smt Meenakshi Lekhi, Member of Parliament.

Prof. Ravi Kant, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh says, “When the pandemic started, 99% hospitals in India did not have a pressure negative environment to treat corona patients, there were not enough N95 masks either. Another challenge was to train the entire staff – both medical and non-medical – to adhere to COVID protocols, especially in smaller towns. We still have capacity constraint in RT-PCR testing – we at AIIMS here can test about 1,000 samples a day. Care for cancer, coronary and other such patients went down but they have started coming again. However, I must say that we have seen a phenomenal leadership in this time of unprecedented crisis and we have seen equal commitment from healthcare workers. However, this is not the last pandemic – there will be an outbreak at 30% in 30 years and 100% in 100 years. The right tribute for healthcare workers will be to prepare for the next war. We need to increase our expenditure from 1% to 5% to ensure medical services reach every nook and corner.”

The 60-hour-long first-of-its-kind live web show has also initiated the process of crowdsourcing tributes for all healthcare workers and information about all doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who have fallen to COVID-19 to create a memorial that will provide people an opportunity to share information, discuss and remember the work and sacrifice of these heroes.

Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder & Director, Ujala Cygnus Hospital says, “In the beginning, we thought we are fighting a 21^st century enemy with a 20^th century weapon, but we have been able to find a solution. What pains me is that people did not realise the gravity of the situation – some of the RWAs in the area where we have hospitals filed a case against us so that we do not treat corona patients.”

Those joining the virtual thanksgiving marathon will include patients, corona survivors, leading names from the business community, social influencers, celebrities, performers, and school children, and will draw doctors, nurses, top leadership of pharmaceutical, medical devices and diagnostic industries as well as researchers and scientists.

IHW Council, a premier think tank that advocates for a healthy world through multilateral stakeholder engagement, has been at the forefront of advocating health for all.

Mr. Kamal Narayan, CEO, IHW Council says, “Over the past two days, we have discussed on the realities of being a doctor, the progress they have made in their fight against COVID and how it has changed their lives, as well as their experiences with the society during the pandemic. During the inauguration, the IHW Council has proposed setting up a memorial for all healthcare workers who have made and continue to make significant contributions and supreme sacrifices. We are happy to say that it has been endorsed by the hon’ble Minister of State for Health, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Dr Randeep Guleria of AIIMS, New Delhi and others. We will need people’s support to make this a reality to honour those who are our constant companion from birth to death.”

Other dignitaries present today included Dr. Sanjay K. Agarwal, Professor & Head Department of Nephrology, AIIMS, New Delhi; Dr Roma Kumar, Senior Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital; Dr Vikas Dua, Additional Director and Head, Paediatric Haematology, Haemato-Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram; Dr Sumit Mrig, Principal  Consultant & Head , Dept of ENT, Chief Cochlear Implant Surgeon, Max Super Speciality Hospital; Dr. Alka Kriplani, Director & Head, Centre for Minimally Invasive Gynaecology, Obstetrics & ART, Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon; Dr Alpesh Gandhi, President, Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India; Dr Nandita Palshetkar, Immediate Past President, Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India; Dr Prakash Singh, Director & Unit Head - Neurosurgery, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket; Prof (Dr.) Binay Kaumar Biswas, Director & Head, Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, ESI-PGIMSR & ESI- Medical College; Dr Hrishikesh Pai, Medical Director, Bloom IVF; Dr Akta Bajaj, Senior Consultant and Head Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, Ujala Cygnus Hospitals; and Dr Meera Agnihotri, Head – Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Jeevani Hospital, Kanpur.

The concluding session today saw recovered corona patient Mr Rohit Datta sharing his experience with the disease and the doctors while Sidhant Gupta’s Peprico Band performed a musical tribute.

The event will have more than 25 interactive sessions that will draw 100+ speakers witness including top representatives from the government institutions, corporate organisations, social impact foundations, healthcare and educational institutions, as well as environmentalists, conservationists, musicians and artists expressing their gratitude through good wishes and kind words or performing live concert.

The web event will draw some of the most renowned doctors of India, including Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar, Professor and Head Department of Onco-Anaesthesia, Pain and Palliative care, AIIMS, New Delhi; Dr Jeyaraj Durai Pandian, Principal and Professor of Neurology, CMC Ludhiana and Vice President, World Stroke Organization; Dr. P.P. Mohanan, President-Elect, Cardiological Society of India; Prof. OP Kharbanda, Dr. C G Pandit National Chair of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Prof. Sudhir Kumar Rawal, Medical Director & Chief of Genito Uro-Oncology Services, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute; and Dr HS Chabbra, Chief Spine Services & Medical Director, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre for panel discussions and share their behind-the-scenes experiences with more than 10,000 people on all 7 days from 10 AM to 6PM.

The gratitude partners for the include the prestigious Poddar Foundation, 91.1 Radio City, Paras Healthcare, Ujala Cygnus, IIHMR University, and Poddar Housing. The event will conclude on 7^th July, 2020.