JOIN USLife lessons from lockdown
As a dental surgeon and one who teaches global health, infectious diseases and disaster management, it is important for me to understand diseases from different perspectives.
Ever since I learnt of the novel coronavirus, I had been anticipating and expecting certain inconveniences like the present lockdown assuming that it would spread globally. One cannot neglect the complexity of a disease, knowing the science behind it.
As a clinician, it was also my responsibility to ensure safety of my patients and staff. I had taken an early initiative to step up infection control protocols in my clinics, and educated my patients on ways to stay healthy.
As we have been asked to close clinics for non-emergency cases, me and my staff have been in touch with our patients through telephone and video calls to guide them on ways to maintain their oral health, alleviate the pain and more importantly to comfort them.
The least I could do was to make them feel confident about their oral and dental health. Though closing my clinic led to emotional and financial strain, staying connected with my patients has occupied my mind and has given me the zeal to step up my service delivery in future and rework on my working system.
Lockdown does not mean you get frustrated in all aspects of life. The one important aspect to remember is that you are not the only one facing the problem. You are asked to stay at home for your own safety and that of the community. With my experience in the field of complex pandemic emergencies, I can state that staying at home is important to control the spread of the disease.
I make sure to obtain information only from authentic sources such as World Health Organisation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and national government websites. How we react during an emergency is subjective and it is essential to follow the orders and regulations of government.
Quality time
Apart from reflecting upon my business enterprise, I also had time to read a book that I wanted to read for a long time, I could teach my four-year-old son how to draw a tree, cook my wife’s favourite dish at home. I call my parents as many times as I want in a day. Though these may seem like small things, I often craved to do the same on my busy days or rather ignored the nuances of life by running behind the pseudo-passion that people like me develop amidst competition.
The lockdown has taught me to evolve, upgrade and be resilient to change and overcome the challenges. Not everyone is lucky to see another day nor will we get a chance like this to be at home with people we love. Life and its chapters will grow but we need to adapt to positive and lateral thinking to fit into the fonts of the book. The choice of being bold, italics or just normal is left to you. Mother Earth will survive with or without us. The contra is not true.
Let us learn to unlearn and get reintroduced to our true selves so that we can walk out after the lockdown as a new person into a new healthy world with new experiences and challenges.
(Aniruddha is a dental surgeon, an artist and a garden enthusiast)