How much courage does it take to face death on an uncertain parole? I don’t know because I neither have such courage nor have the mental strength to endure it. It’s not like the fear of an estray bullet that might hit you in the line of fire as there is either some scope of calculation and mitigation or its too sudden to have the fear get over you.
Doctors and medical care facilitators around the globe, at the moment, are such daring, courageous, noble and extraordinary creatures fighting for the lives of others while putting their owns in grave danger. Doing long and unending shifts with inadequate safety gear, little rest, hardly any individual recognition while being alive and with the constant fear and risk of contracting the virus are the true angels of the time. Calling them heroes is like underappreciating their efforts. No financial compensation for their time and effort and no professional promotion in future can match their contributions and larger than life efforts and sacrifices.
They do not merely provide the medical treatment needed but they become the hope, comfort, sympathizers, listeners, healers, the parents and the children to the lonely suffering souls. The comforting whispers of these angels console the fearful, scared and lonely hearts in their darkest hours, the strong hold of their hands injects the warmth of hope in the sinking pulses and droopy bodies, the kind and assuring look of eyes motivate the giving up beings and become their only friends and relatives to rely on.
These young and seasoned medical professionals are biologically normal people like rest of the human race. Their hearts sinks, eyes shed tears, brain gets boggled, legs shake and soul trembles at the testing and challenging times but they have one such God gifted quality which makes them superior to us all. They have super natural ‘Nerves’. Nerves which keeps them going with same compassion, patience, passion and zeal in the most dreadful situations and enable them to place humanity over and above the interests of their own families and loved ones? How many of us possess such nerves? Not many I am sure, including myself.
How can we repay or reward them? We cannot. The best we can do, on national and collective level, is to equip them adequately ensuring the best safety gear for each one of them. It is mandatory to ensure their safety and protection as they are too precious to be sent in the dragon’s den bare handed. At individual level, we will do a great service to them by trying to stay safe and by including them in our prayers. We are proud of them and this is the least we can do.
Demise of such young and brilliant Dr. Osama Riaz is not only an irreparable loss to his family but its an equally painful and damaging injury to the whole nation. Worldwide death toll of doctors due to COVID 19 has surpassed double digit. It’s in hundreds now. Each country and every nation must do all what it takes to protect them. Communities around the globe are paying tribute to them as in Italy by singing all at one time across the country at night. In India, famous celebrities and showbiz star families joined the people in acknowledging and motivating these angels by playing instruments; drums, flutes, whistles etc. Its symbolic indeed but can have a practical impact of boosting morale. Should not we too step forward and pay a symbolic tribute to our angels? I would appeal to the media houses to take lead and develop a call of action in this regard. The nation is sure to follow.
Now, our heroes. The staff of civil and military administration, junior and senior alike, working in the field ; the garbage collectors, the data collectors visiting place to place, the staff sanitizing streets and cities, police and other armed forces ensuring enforcement of lock down and promoting social distancing, staff of service providing companies ensuring smooth flow of internet, electricity, water and other such utilities, media personnel covering news and the politicians running around to carry out the relief and welfare work – these are the real heroes to me. While we are staying at home, sanitizing time and again even after being in a clean and protected environment, these are the people out in the field working. Now another group has joined their ranks – the civil society and NGO activists who are arranging and distributing Ration among the needy. That’s what nations and civilizations known for. That’s what Pakistanis are known for – that we stand together and whole nation becomes one when it comes to help our people in such testing times.
Let’s live up to our standards of humanity and duties of serving and helping our people as guided and enforced upon us by Islam, the religion of peace and kindness. May Allah shower His Mercy and Generosity upon us and uproot this pandemic in its entirety from the face of Earth.
The writer is a Development sector practitioner and can be reached at sunniyakhn@gmail.com
