World Health Day an opportunity to express gratitude towards doctors fighting COVID-19
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the World Health Day is an opportunity to reaffirm our gratitude towards all doctors, nurses, medical staff, and healthcare workers leading the battle against COVID-19.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the World Health Day is an opportunity to reaffirm our gratitude towards all doctors, nurses, medical staff and healthcare workers leading the battle against COVID-19.
"Today on #WorldHealthDay, let us not only pray for each other's good health and well-being but also reaffirm our gratitude towards all those doctors, nurses, medical staff, and healthcare workers who are bravely leading the battle against the COVID-19 menace," the prime minister tweeted.
He also said on this World Health Day, let us also follow practices such as social distancing, which will protect our own lives as well as the lives of others.
"May this day also inspire us towards focussing on personal fitness through the year, which would help improve our overall health," he said.
The vice president appealed to citizens to respect and appreciate the selfless work of the medical community.
"Any misbehaviour or assault on doctors and nurses is unacceptable, and most stringent action must be taken against culprits behind such incidents," his office tweeted.
The World Health Day is observed every year on April 7 to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organisation (WHO). The day is also known as WHO's birthday.
For the past several weeks, WHO has been instrumental in disseminating information about coronavirus and how people can stay safe from the highly contagious respiratory illness. Besides the widely reiterated importance of staying in quarantine and maintaining social distance, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged all the countries to ‘test, test, and test’, stating the pandemic cannot be fought blindfolded.
India has reported over 4,000 positive cases of COVID-19 so far. While the country finds itself in a better position compared to western countries such as the US and Italy when it comes to the number of cases, the total number of tests being conducted on the ground seems to be a big concern.
(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)