Suresh Kumar, LNJP Hospital medical director and Sandeep Budhiraja the Group Medical Director of Max Healthcare on Saturday said that the Delhi government’s decision to shortlist their names for Padma awards was an honour for all the doctors of Delhi who have been working tirelessly to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The state-run hospital is the largest coronavirus facility in the capital. Kumar, who expected the charge of the medical director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) in May last year, did not take a single leave as the city dealt with the first wave of COVID-19.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said as he welcomed the contribution of healthcare workers in fighting this pandemic. A Delhi government panel shortlisted the names of doctors Kumar, Budhiraja and Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) vice chancellor S K Sarin, to be recommended for Padma awards this year.
“I am thankful to the honourable chief minister and the Delhi government for giving me this respect and for honouring my hard work. This is an honour for the doctors of Delhi who worked tirelessly during the pandemic without caring for their health and families. We have treated highest number of cases in the country,” Kumar told PTI.
The Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital has played a serious role amid the city’s fight against the pandemic since March 2020, when it treated over 21,000 coronavirus patients so far, which according to the chief minister said was the highest number of such patients treated at any hospital in the country.
“The initial days were very challenging, but we took it in our stride. The spirit of human service guided us, and the whole team, doctors, nurses, paramedics, gave their best. It is humbling to find one’s name among the nominees for the Padma awards, and I extend my gratitude to the Delhi government for all their support,” Kumar said.
A COVID-19 survivor himself, the 57-year-old medical director of Delhi government’s largest hospital said, “We are not resting at all and gearing up for the anticipated third wave of the pandemic”. Group Medical Director of Max Healthcare group Budhiraja, whose name has also been shortlisted for the honour said, “I want to sincerely thank the Delhi government for recognising the great service and sacrifices made by healthcare workers during the last 18 months of the pandemic”.
“The only way to emerge strong in these difficult times is to work and stand together, whether in government or private sector. Max Healthcare has been at the forefront in fighting this pandemic and we have treated almost 35,000 patients as a network,” he said.
Yeoman service was done by all the doctors and other healthcare workers during the pandemic and many among them who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Jaipur-born Kumar, who joined LNJP Hospital in 1998, recalled the tough time he had faced after assuming charge as the medical director, saying his wife had suffered a heart attack and underwent angioplasty.
“Three stents were inserted in her heart. I went and met her for a day and told her ‘now that you have been operated upon and are better, I will return to my hospital’. This year, my wife and some other family members tested positive for the coronavirus infection and we faced a difficult time,” he said.
The senior doctor said he did not take a single day off as 2,000 patients needed him at the hospital. While announcing the Delhi government’s pick for the Padma awards recommendations, Kejriwal said, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, our frontline and medical workers, especially our doctors and paramedics, saved our lives by putting their own lives at risk. They served all of us. It is now the time to show them that the entire country is grateful to them. We respect them for their services and for saving the lives of people”.
The Padma awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service). The awards seek to recognise the achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved