CM launches ‘ Majha Doctor’
Aims to empower family doctor: ‘Key to curb virus spread’
At a time when doctors, nurses and paramedics are under tremendous stress to treat Covid patients and gearing up for a possible third wave, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray launched the ‘Majha Doctor’ (My Doctor) campaign on Sunday, urging family doctors to guide people as it would help with catching and controlling the infection at an early stage. Thackeray, along with members of the state’s Covid taskforce, was speaking at a video conference that was attended by a record 700 doctors across the state.
“The role of family doctors is very important in the pandemic, as in case of any minor or major ailment, the patient first contacts his family doctor. The ‘My Doctor’ campaign is necessary as it is witnessed that patients who have no symptoms go to the hospital and occupy beds when they don’t need to do so, creating problems for the patients who genuinely need hospital care. Then there are patients who delay treatment. If family doctors were to carefully examine symptoms and start treatment immediately, it would help the patient to recover in time, so the patient also gets mental support and if his health is deteriorating, they can be admitted to the hospital on time,” said Thackeray.
“In a unique collaborative effort convened by CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, experts from the State Task Force guided 700 private doctors in Mumbai via video conferencing this afternoon. They resolved their doubts and also updated them on COVID treatment protocols.” the Chief Minister’s Office tweeted. Thackeray called on family doctors to register themselves at the Covid Care Centre or Jumbo facilities in their respective areas, as the state needed their services.
State TaskForce member Dr Shashank Joshi, who was part of the virtual interaction, told The Free Press Journal, “Empowering family doctors with the right information is key to Covid care and to save every life. In this campaign, the CM wants to sensitise family doctors across Maharashtra to the latest protocols in pandemic management, demystify myths and explain the dos and don’ts.”
He further noted that the campaign had been launched with an appeal to family doctors to guide and treat citizens so that every infection could be diagnosed, isolated and treated and every life saved.
Further, the CM said the state government would soon set up a taskforce of paediatricians to suggest treatment protocols for the 0-18 category, as the state was witnessing increased infections and deaths in this group. He suggested that doctors needed to carefully watch their young charges for symptoms like cough, cold, loss of appetite and diarrhoea.
Thackeray’s initiative comes a day after PM Narendra Modi lauded the state government’s commendable job in fighting the virus. The timing is also important, as Maharashtra and Mumbai, in particular, are hogging the limelight for curbing the virus spread and bringing down the positivity rate.