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To all my fellow human beings, especially privileged ones like myself, please read what I have to say. This is war, and needs to be treated as one.
Many a time, during our training and work as a doctor, we have seen patients come to us with folded hands, begging us to do what we can. Trust me, in any case, we are always doing our best. We understand the pain and helplessness you feel when a loved one is sick, because we feel it too. We feel it for all our patients, all those who are suffering, and even for those who will fall sick later.
Today, as the world struggles to understand COVID-19 which has brought us to an preccedented situation, it is doctors who now beg you to understand the gravity of the situation.
It is now time to be blunt. This is the medical analogy of a war. And a war demands sacrifice. But this is a war in which everyone can participate; each one can do their bit to help the doctors attend to those who get infected with COVID-19.
All everyone needs to do, is to simply stay indoors, unless absolutely an emergency occurs.
By that, I mean, that we manage with what we have.
The mozzarella cheese, the eyebrows, the new set of colour pencils; none of it makes the cut. Not even the ice cream or the speciality bakery bread. The only thing that justifies stepping out are bare essentials needed for survival, baby food, medicines, etc.
So before we tell ourselves that the grocery stores are open, let us ask this: “Is this absolutely needed? Can I not do without this? What happens if I don’t go out and get this?”
Plan so that you only need to leave the house once a week. Plan so that only one of you goes out; don’t make it a trip with the children.
There will be days when you don’t get the particular items you think you must have, but then so many doctors aren’t getting the N95 masks they need.
There will be times when the fatigue will set in, but then remember the airport staff who are working continuously to screen passengers.
There will be times when you will feel bored, but it is better than being the perpetually anxious family of a health care worker exposed to COVID-19, like all our families are.
There will be times when you will feel everything is becoming normal and we are overthinking, but you haven’t experienced the strange foreboding and butterflies in the stomach that every doctor is feeling each minute, because they understand the magnitude of what’s happening.
Yes, it has been days since you met family, but this is for you, and them and everyone.
Today, more that any other time, follow the prescription that millions of doctors are writing out for you “STAY AT HOME”. Today, please trust them when they say this is the only way out. Because, it is. Because otherwise, for thousands or even millions of us, there may be no tomorrows.
With folded hands, once more, please stay home!
Image source: shutterstock
Shalini is an author and a practicing doctor specializing in respiratory pathology. Her book Stars from the Borderless Sea (2022) was longlisted for the AutHer Awards 2023 (Debut category). Shalini was awarded a Jury Appreciation read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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