Why are we losing so many of our doctors?
With the situation on the ground worsening each passing day, we must grapple with the fact that we are losing our healthcare professionals at the frontline of the war on Covid-19 at an alarming rate. At least 35 doctors have already sacrificed their lives while fulfilling their oath of serving humanity, and as many as 1,169 doctors have been infected as of June 12, according to Bangladesh Doctors' Foundation (BDF). A report published by this daily shows that 16 of these 35 doctors were senior physicians at the professor-level, who not only provided life-saving treatment to critical patients, but also mentored whole generations of doctors and contributed to healthcare policies and medical practices.
There can be no doubt that the loss of these esteemed and experienced professionals, who are the backbone of our healthcare system, is irredeemable. Particularly, at a time when the sector is completely overwhelmed and struggling to provide treatment to the ever-increasing number of patients both in the Covid-19 and non-Covid facilities, the passing of senior doctors will only push the sector towards further devastation. We must ask ourselves—and answer—whether enough precautions were taken to ensure utmost safety of those leading the fight. From the beginning, we have witnessed the authorities' failure to come up with a comprehensive plan on how to tackle the overwhelming pressures on the healthcare system brought about by the pandemic and the mismanagement in adequately deploying and equipping doctors. This has no doubt pushed our healthcare providers towards further exposure. We must now, as a nation, pay the heavy price for such reckless disregard.
There is as yet no compiled data on the number of nurses, paramedics and other healthcare providers who have been infected or lost their lives. We mourn for and pay our utmost respect to the doctors and healthcare providers who put their patients' lives before their own. The flailing healthcare sector, which failed to protect them, is now even more vulnerable with their passing.
The authorities can no longer afford to be apathetic to this harsh reality.
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