Heal thyself

 With the current second wave of the pandemic showing clear indications of ebbing, it is however, still too early to declare that battle is over. According to health experts, even if the second wave may be over as indicated by significant decline of new covid cases; the virus is still around. The current relaxations may suggest to many that everything’s back to normal. That’s when the lurking virus could strike again with devastating effect. Therefore, it would be wise to not let our guard down. The second wave of the covid pandemic brought the country to its knees. One of the factors was largely due to the mishandling by the government. In the very words of known Modi supporter and veteran filmactor Anupam Kher, it was time for the government to understand that there’s more to life than (perennial) image building. Be that as it may, the mutant variant, that triggered the second wave is far deadlier than the earlier virus in the first wave. Many lives were saved while some lost. The fact that the second wave of the pandemic again caught India by surprise demands recognition on those who fought back valiantly. It is an opportunity to put on record the selfless sacrifices rendered by all frontline workers. What has been witnessed during the worst period (month of May) especially in Dimapur, was the yeoman services performed by doctors, nurses and other staff on Covid-19 duty. Without prejudice to anyone, there were some among the medical teams who gave more than was expected of them. It would be unfair to specifically mention which sector those hospitals were from since it would appear as if the rest did not perform their duties. In general, it must be pointed out that the medical fraternity were more prepared this time than during the first wave but could only do to a limited extent. Covid is an entirely new virus which is highly infectious and having devastating effects on the body. In the second wave, the most affected organ was lung where patients experienced breathlessness. Most wrongly felt that this symptom will go but unfortunately many succumbed to pneumonia etc. Some hospitals did not have CT Scan which was very critical for knowing the status of the lungs. Even the government hospital did not have CT Scan and which is shocking given the fact that the department has been spending huge amount of money on purchases for years, especially since April 2020 in the name of emergency purchases for the pandemic. The government of Nagaland, particularly the department of health & family welfare needs to learn a lesson from other north eastern states when it comes to providing adequate or quality health care. Political interference should be severely limited to general administration- transfer or posting. A core team of experienced, efficient medical professionals of proven integrity should guide and advise the department on managing crucial health issues. Nagaland’s health system has been exposed during the pandemic. The department is the most vital organ of the government and the professionals in the department have to make a stand on what they should do to truly reflect the Hippocratic oath they have taken.