National Doctors' Day - July 1👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️: Honouring The Nobel Profession of Doctors

This year is once again dedicated to all those doctors and healthcare professionals who are serving in these trying times by risking their lives either in primary as well as secondary care setups or in dedicated COVID care facilities.

Pandemic has once again reminded us about the contributions and sacrifices made by doctors and healthcare workers around the globe.   

          Every year, July 1 is celebrated as National Doctors’ Day by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The day is observed to commemorate the birth and death anniversary of former Bengal’s Chief Minister Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. The day is dedicated to all the doctors and healthcare workers who have been serving the people by risking their lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has once again reminded us about the contributions and sacrifices made by doctors and healthcare workers around the globe. Doctor’s Day is celebrated on different dates across the world.   

    National Doctors’ Day  : History                                              The day was first observed in 1991 in honour of the former Bengal’s Chief Minister Dr BC Roy to recognise his contribution to serving humanity. Dr Roy was a great doctor who made an enormous contribution to the medical field. He was born on July 1, 1882, and died on a similar date in 1962.

He was also conferred with the honour of Bharat Ratna, on February 4, 1961. He played a significant role in establishing medical institutions like Jadavpur T.B. Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan, Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital, Victoria Institution (college), Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital and the Chittaranjan Seva Sadan for women and children. He was also called the first medical consultant in the subcontinent of India who towered over his contemporaries in several fields by British Medical journal.                                                     

National Doctors’ Day 2021: Significance

The National Doctor’s Day is to observed to pay heed towards the medical doctors’ role and responsibilities in serving lives. The day is supposed to recognise their functions and obligations.

Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, when the instances have elevated tremendously, the medical doctors have been working 24*7 risking their lives and desperately making an attempt to save several lives. Instead of thinking about their own safety and their family’s safety, they chose to serve the nation. Kudos to their spirit and dedication that they continued to work untiringly in the hour of crisis.