KOLKATA: Their age make them vulnerable to Covid-19. Even as the virus has claimed the lives of many younger colleagues, these senior doctors did not hang up their boots and continued to attend to patients during the pandemic. On Thursday, they were felicitated by Protect the Warriors (PTW) for their commitment to the profession.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Sidhartha Chakraborty has been conducting surgeries all through the pandemic. The former medical superintendent and vice-principal of Medical College Hospital, Kolkata, had taken up the assignment as KPC Medical College principal after he retired from government service. Now superannuated from KPC Medical College, he works with two private hospitals.
“Even as most surgeries I conducted were planned ones, I had to get involved in some emergency cases where Covid status of the patient was unknown. Fortunately, I have not got infected yet. Covid is going to stay for now and we better try to go back to normal as much as possible after taking all precautions,” said Chakraborty.
At 77, pulmonologist Dhiman Ganguly had worked with the state government in containing Covid-19 during the first wave in addition to patient consultation. He, along with senior physician Sukumar Mukherjee (in his 80s), were the first among the senior citizens to take the vaccine in the state.
“I have tried to contribute whatever little I can in the Covid fight. This virus has emerged as the most difficult to predict. But I would like to agree with WHO scientist Soumya Swaminathan on the possibility of the virus entering endemic stage in India,” said Ganguly.
Interventional cardiologist Shuvavan Ray of Fortis Hospital and eye specialist Gautam Bhaduri, former director of Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, were also among the doctors who were felicitated on Thursday. Bhauduri, however, is currently not seeing patients after a knee surgery.
“As we started learning more about the the virus, we opened our department, which is working fully since August 2020. We had to open up to patients. Apart from patient coming only for cardiac issues, we need to coordinate with doctors in the Covid ward as heart issues are involved in patients with severe infection,” said Ray.
“It is really encouraging to see the professional commitment of these senior doctors who have taught and guided many of us,” said PTW general secretary ENT specialist Abhik Ghosh. The organisation has also launched Covid Memoir, a book of 60 stories told by doctors themselves.
