Medical fraternity should be awarded Bharat Ratna this year, it will make entire country happy: CM Arvind Kejriwal

CM Arvind Kejriwal said that bestowing Bharat Ratna on doctors and paramedics as a community will recognise the sacrifice of all the doctors and paramedic staff who had lost their lives on duty, along with paying homage to the departed souls.

Image courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday requested the central government to award the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, to the medical fraternity in honour of their service during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He made this request during a 'Doctors’ Day Celebration' programme organised by StepOne where he was invited as the Chief Guest.

CM Kejriwal remarked that honouring Bharat Ratna to doctors and paramedics as a community will recognise the sacrifice of all the doctors and paramedic staff who had lost their lives on duty, along with paying homage to the departed souls. 

“I want to request the central government to award this year’s Bharat Ratna to “Indian Doctor”. By “Indian Doctor” I mean the entire medical community - all doctors, nurses and paramedics should be given the award, collectively. This is the greatest manner in which we can pay our respect and homage to all those who have martyred while serving the nation on COVID duties,” CM Arvind Kejriwal said.

Taking to Twitter, CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “‎This year the 'Indian Doctors' should get Bharat Ratna. 'Indian Doctor' means doctors, nurses and paramedics. This will be a true tribute to all  who have been martyred. This will honour those who serve without worrying about their lives and families. The entire country will be happy with this decision‎."

इस वर्ष “भारतीय डॉक्टर” को भारत रत्न मिलना चाहिए। “भारतीय डॉक्टर” मतलब सभी डॉक्टर, नर्स और पैरामेडिक

शहीद हुए डाक्टर्ज़ को ये सच्ची श्रद्धांजली होगी। अपनी जान और परिवार की चिंता किए बिना सेवा करने वालों का ये सम्मान होगा।

पूरा देश इस से खुश होगा — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 4, 2021

Talking about the dedication shown by the medical community during the COVID crisis, the CM said, “The medical community stepped up to serve our nation during the COVID-19 crisis, we are all deeply grateful to the community. I personally know a lot of doctors who could not be home for months because of their COVID duties. Without thinking twice about their families and children, they relentlessly served the country, putting their own lives at stake. They were not getting any special benefits, extra payments or promotions, they weren’t getting anything in exchange. Yet they all did their best because of their love for humanity. We salute all these brave doctors, nurses and paramedics.”

Kejriwal said, “I received an interesting message once; it read that all temples are shut during COVID because God is serving at hospitals wearing a white coat. It signifies the amount of love and respect doctors command. Despite this, there were some incidents around the country where doctors were mistreated, yet in 99% cases, our doctors bore through the agony in empathy for the patients and their families,” CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, describing the efforts made by doctors to serve the country."

He further said, “Even in such tough times, the doctors served their duties, and we lost a lot of doctors and paramedics during this time; they were martyred on duty. I pay homage on behalf of the entire country to all such lives we have lost.”

Briefing the doctors about the government’s efforts, the CM said that the ex-gratia of rupees 1 crore being given to the families of frontline workers and doctors who had died on duty was not compensation but a token of respect and care for their services.

“We tried our best to fix the system as much as was in our capacity. Among these, the Delhi Government gave 1 crore rupees as a “Samman Rashi” to the families of those doctors and frontline workers whose lives were lost in the pandemic. This is not compensation, this is a way of thanking their service, and reinforcing that we care for them, the country stands with them, and the society stands with them."

"Also, a lot of doctors could not go to their homes after serving in COVID wards in order to protect their families from getting infected," he said, adding "To deal with this, we arranged for the best possible accommodations for them where they could stay while they were attending to COVID patients.” 

Arvind Kejriwal said this during an address he delivered as the chief guest of Project Step One’s Doctors’ Day Celebrations, which he joined through video conferencing.

Project StepOne is a volunteer-run group of doctors and citizens who help provide telemedicine services during the COVID-19 pandemic. CM Kejriwal thanked all the doctors, nurses and paramedic staff and expressed his gratitude towards them and their services.