World Doctor’s day falls on 1st July, and is an opportunity to raise awareness about the doctor’s role in our daily lives – a day when people across the country acknowledge the commitment and dedication of the medical and health care fraternity towards society. Doctor’s Day is the time to pay tribute to the entire medical profession. It is a special and an ideal opportunity to remind people of the critical role doctor’s play in our lives. It is also a time for doctors to reflect on their own careers, realist their responsibility they bear and redirect themselves onto an ethical path of healing those in need.
Doctors play an important role in our society. When you get ill the most important person in life is the doctor. A doctor performs diagnosis and treatment. He cares for the patients and keeps them well. It is not enough just to pay the bill or says “Thanks” for doctors are the life saviours who strive tirelessly to cure the ailments of the patients.Doctor’s Day is the perfect time for patients to acknowledge the high-pressured job and appreciate their doctor’s ability to comfort and heal.The concept of ‘Family Physician’ is more or less extinct.It is imperative for both patients and doctors to work together on re-establishing some of the lost trust, and truly, there could be no better day than Doctors’ Day to reinforce the unique relationship between the doctor and patient. Reverence for human life and individual dignity is both the hallmark of a good physician and the key to truly beneficial advances in medicine.
Specific responsibilities vary greatly depending on the area of specialism. However, generic duties of the job include:
1-undertaking patient consultations and physical examinations
2-organizing workloads
3-performing surgical procedures
4-providing general pre- and post-operative care
5-monitoring and administering medication
6-assessing and planning treatment requirements
7-liaising daily with staff including other doctors, non-medical management staff and healthcare professionals
8-writing reports and maintaining records
9-promoting health education
This day is commonly celebrated in healthcare organizations to recognize the contributions of physicians to individual lives and communities. These events are typically organized by staff at a healthcare organization. Staff may organize a lunch for doctors to present the physicians with tokens of recognition. Historically, a card or red carnation may be sent to physicians and their spouses, along with a flower being placed on the graves of deceased physicians.
The Doctor’s Day is observed to lay emphasis on the value of doctors in our lives. It is an occasion to give them their due respect.World has shown remarkable improvements in the medical field and The day pays a perfect tribute to all the doctors who have made relentless efforts towards achieving this goal irrespective of the odds.
Some Key skills for hospital doctors are very important such as:
a-Ability to work long hours, often under pressure
b-Good practical skills
c-Ability to solve problems
d-Effective decision-making skills
e-Leadership and management skills
f-Communication skills, compassion and a good bedside manner
g-Drive to continue learning throughout career
Doctor’s Day is the time to pay tribute to the entire medical profession.It is observed that doctors are more often the victims of criticism while their successes are overlooked. No doubt, it is a fact that the medical profession carries a heavy responsibility with it, but people need to understand that behind the white coat and stethoscope is a normal human being and like in all other professions, doctors too need appreciation for their work and efforts.
The patient trusts and places his life in the hands of doctor. On many occasions, the patient discloses confidential information to the doctor which he/she might or might not have discussed with his/her spouse or family member. In no other profession does the individual place so much trust and faith. In some regions, particularly in rural areas, the doctor is equated with God. The doctor is, therefore, duty-bound to have a higher level of moral code of conduct than those in other professions and must understand that he/she is in a very privileged position.
It is a great observance which helps in fulfilling the actual need of doctors and physicians in the lives of everyone as well as their significant roles and responsibilities. This campaign helps common public to get aware about the roles, importance and the precious care of the doctors,pharmacists and other medical professionals.
Large population crowd depends in many ways on the physicians and their quality treatments which show the remarkable improvements and progress in the cure and treatments methods. This has been proved as a way of encouragement and big eye opener for all the physicians,doctors,pharmacists and other medical professionals to wake up from their failing career due to the lack of commitment towards their profession.
Sometimes common and poor people get stuck in the wrong hand of irresponsible and unprofessional doctors which becomes the reason of public violence and protests against those doctors,pharmacists and other medical professionals. This awareness campaign is the great way of attracting all the doctors and physicians at one place to bring them at one track of responsibility towards the life saving medical profession.It is a day to say them vote of thanks for their love, affection and priceless care of their patients.
A discussion program is organized to discuss about the various aspects of medical profession such as health check-up, cure, prevention, diagnosis, proper treatment of the disease and so many. Rotational medical services by the doctors are also promoted and encouraged in the community for better and healthy social development. Free medical checkup camps are organized at many health centers and public places by the health care organizations to promote quality medical services without cost among common public.
General screening test camps are also organized to assess the health status, health counseling, health nutrition talks and chronic diseases awareness among poor people and senior citizens. Free blood test, random blood sugar test, ECG, EEG, blood pressure checkup and etc activities are organized to aware people about the priceless roles of doctors,pharmacists and other medical professionals in everyone lives.
Some of the activities at the schools and colleges level are also organized for encouraging more youth students toward the dedicated medical profession. Discussion on the medical topics, quiz competitions, sports activities, availing scientific tools to students for the creative knowledge, implementing new and effective educational strategies for making the medical profession strong and more responsible.
On this day,patients greet their doctors by distributing greeting cards, appreciation cards, E-cards, giving them bunch of flowers or bouquets, greeting messages through the mails and etc. Special meetings, party and dinner are organized at the health centers, hospitals, nursing homes or at homes by the doctors in order to commemorate importance of day and contributions of doctors,pharmacists and other medical professionals towards medical profession.Thus,society will flourish better.
The writer is a Doctor at CMH Hospital Lahore and he can be reached at dr.zeeshan.alias.ghazikhan@gm