PM Modi hails Doctors ‘exemplary’ service during pandemic

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the services rendered by doctors in India during the Covid-19 pandemic and thanked them for it on National Doctors' Day. Addressing a virtual event organised by the Indian Medical Association, he said, "The service rendered by doctors in last one-and-a-half-year is exemplary. "Our doctors, their knowledge and experience is helping us fight this battle against Covid-19. I thank them on behalf of 130 crore Indians."  

The prime minister also urged doctors to undertake research and documentation on benefits of vaccines, early diagnosis and specific treatments. He said the central government has "put maximum thrust" on the healthcare sector and has doubled its budget to over Rs 2 lakh crore this financial year. “We have come up with a Credit Guarantee Scheme of Rs 50,000 crores to strengthen the health infrastructure in such areas where there is a lack of health facilities,” he stated.

Speaking about the commitment of doctors towards their duty, PM Modi said many doctors have themselves faced health and personal problems during the pandemic but despite this, they did not stop working. "They treated millions and saved their lives while struggling on their own. Many doctors have lost their lives while saving others during the pandemic," he said.

The Doctors’ Day is observed in the honour of noted doctor and former West Bengal chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy, whose birth and death anniversaries fall on July 1. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also thanked the doctors for their contribution in the society. The debt of doctors who served people day and night during the pandemic cannot be repaid. As many as 730 doctors have succumbed to the novel coronavirus infection during the second wave, according to data available by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).