National Doctor’s Day 2022: History, significance and theme of the day

Every year, National Doctor’s Day is observed on July 1 in the memory of Dr Bidhan Roy, the former Chief Minister of Bengal, who was known for his selfless service to humanity. The day, commemorated by Indian Medical Association (IMA), celebrates all doctors and healthcare workers who have been tirelessly serving people by risking their own lives.

Dr Roy was born on July 1, 1882, and passed away on the same day in 1962. Also called Doctors’ Day, it has been celebrated across the nation every year since 1991. The theme this year is ‘Family doctors on the front line.’

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Calling family physicians as “gatekeepers”, Dr Sameer Kulkarni, Regional Director, Paras Healthcare said, “When Covid hit India, they were the first to report infections and advised patients on the value of immunisation, isolation, and finding appropriate treatment.” He added, “it is vital to remember their significance and how they led from the front when Covid struck India.”

History

Dr Bidhan Roy was also a prominent freedom fighter. The Bharat Ratna recipient established many medical institutes such as the Jadavpur T.B. Hospital, Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital, Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital and the Chittaranjan Seva Sadan for women and children.

Significance

The day honours the contributions made by the doctors and healthcare professionals, along with the numerous sacrifices they have made to save millions of lives.

Amid pandemic, many of the frontline workers had sacrificed their lives in order to save another one.

Highlighting the problems the medical fraternity usually faces, Dr Kulkarni informed that the country’s healthcare system has “a shortage of more than 6 lakh doctors.” He added that there is an urgent need to encourage more and more people to opt for the profession. “It is pivotal to strengthen healthcare education in India so that world-class competent medical physicians graduate each year,” he said.

Adding to it, Dr Rishi Raj Borah, Country Director, Orbis explained that rural areas have a few healthcare facilities, “In rural areas, there are fewer health facilities and hence doctors play a significant role to provide care to any age group.”

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