Doctor’s Day 2020- The True Heroes

Saturday 18th of April 2020

Doctor’s Day 2020- The True Heroes

On 18th April, the island nation of Maldives celebrates Doctors Day, appreciating all the efforts and sacrifices being done by the doctors in the country. And this year, the country marks this day during such a dark time, when doctors are the true heroes of the country battling a pandemic.

‘Maldivian Doctors Day this year arrives at a time when the service and sacrifice of our doctors to the nation is on profound display. We owe our medical professionals an immense debt of gratitude for the risks they undertake daily to keep us safe from COVID 19. My sincere thanks,’ says the President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Currently, the country has 12 cases of local transmission and is under great fear that the numbers will peak during these 2 weeks of lockdown. The latest case reported by Health Protection Agency is a Bangladeshi national who was a direct contact of a previous local positive case. The Health Protection Agency has also predicted that the COVID-19 pandemic could kill up to 2000 people in the Maldives.

During the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC)'s daily press briefing on 17th April, public health expert Dr. Sheena Moosa shared a presentation on projections predicting the situation in Maldives if the contagion continues to spread rapidly. Doctor also warns that the country does not have the capacity to treat a large influx of positive patients, while it is believed over 100,000 people will become infected.

Risking their own lives and staying away from their own families, doctors and healthcare workers are doing everything they can for their nation. They continue to serve the nation, saving lives and investing all their time so that the people are protected from this deadly virus that has shaken the whole world.