IMA urges Govt to reinstitute Dr B C Roy National Award on eve of Doctors' Day

Dr Jayesh Lele, honorary secretary-general, IMA (HQ) told The Indian Express "The Government of India has instituted Dr B.C. Roy National Award in 1973 was being conferred by the President of India every year. But since the last 5 years, the said Award has been put on hold and we have appealed that this should be reinstituted."

IMA HQ office bearers also spoke at a press conference to mark the occasion, announcing that a ceremony, to honour prominent medical professionals who have displayed exceptional dedication and humanity, will take place on July 1. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of State for Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, among others, are set to attend, Dr Sahajanand Prasad Singh, national president of the IMA said.

National Doctors' Day gets celebrated all across the globe to acknowledge the contributions of doctors to individual lives and communities. It is the hard work and selfless deeds of the doctors that keep society healthy.

India has been celebrating National Doctors' Day on July 1 since 1991 to honour the memory of legendary physician Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. However, this Doctors' Day is all the more special because, after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, society has started truly acknowledging the selfless services of doctors who risked their lives every single day to save the people of the society.

Prof (Dr) Atul Goel, Director, General Health Services, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a letter on June 24 and advised each hospital to announce "Happy Doctors Day" in the OPD and at the entry gate to aware people about the importance of the occasion. The Indian Express reports that Goel stated in the letter, " We have suggested a list of activities to celebrate Doctors' Day across the country wherein the community will express its gratitude to the doctors who risked their lives during testing times of the Covid-l9 pandemic and remained a constant source of inspiration and assurance the community looked for at those darkest hours. Many doctors died as heroes while trying to save the patients but went on becoming legends to start a series of folk tales that will define optimism in the years to come."