Bengaluru: Recognising their selfless service over the last 3 months in their relentless fight against the coronavirus spread, Karnataka on Wednesday honoured doctors, nurses, paramedics and other healthcare warriors, marking the National Doctor’s Day.
“National Doctors’ Day’ greetings to physicians and their teams who work day and night as guards of public’s illness,” Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said here.
July 1 is celebrated every year as ‘Doctors’ Day’ across the country to mark the birthday of renowned physician and former West Bengal chief minister Bharat Ratna Bidhan Chandra Roy.
Wishing all doctors on their day, state Health Minister B. Sriramulu said the people see god as a doctor who treats their illness.
“Society always honours doctors for their duty, diligence and service. Let us extend our heartfelt thanks to them who are relentlessly fighting Covid-19,” said Sriramulu here.
Hailing healthcare warriors for working in every health centre across the state, the minister urged the people to support them in their fight against the virus.
Saluting unsung heroes of corona warriors, state Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said the efforts of doctors to save the people from the pandemic was laudable.
“I thank all doctors for working round-the-clock to save humanity from the pandemic infection. Their selfless service to care and cure COVID patients cannot be valued and manifests in a Sanskrit saying ‘Vaidyo Narayano Hari’ which means a ‘doctor is like a god’ for all,” Sudhakar said on the occasion.
The state’s opposition Congress leader Siddaramaiah said doctors were the only hope during these pandemic times.
“As they are saving lives and livelihood of thousands of people, it is our duty to respect their contribution towards nation-building,” said the state’s former chief minister (2013-18) here.
The West Bengal government declared a state holiday for the first time to celebrate the birthday of Dr B.C. Roy and laud the yeomen services of doctors and frontline workers in the fight against the virus.
Born on July 1, 1882, at Patna in British India’s Bengal Presidency, Dr Roy first graduated in mathematics and studied medicine at the University of Calcutta. Later, he sailed to England and joined St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London after efforts, as he was initially denied admission because he was an Asian.
Dr Roy later became a member of the Royal College of Physicians and a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons after post-graduation in 1911.
On return to India, Roy joined the freedom movement while teaching medicine at the university and became its vice-chancellor subsequently. Joining politics in 1925, he became West Bengal’s second chief minister from 1948 to 1962.
Dr Roy was also a personal physician to Mahatma Gandhi and the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Indian government honoured Dr Roy with ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1961, a year before he died on his 80th birthday on July 1, 1962.
Dr Roy donated his home in Kolkata to be converted into a nursing home, named after his mother Aghorkamini Devi.