About Doctor’s Day
National Doctors Day is a day dedicated to the contribution of the physicians to our society, nation, and the world. The first ever Doctor's Day celebration was witnessed on 30th March 1933 in Georgia of USA. It involved sending cards to physicians and placing flowers on the graves of dead doctors. Generally, Doctors Day is celebrated on different days in different countries. Majorly, this day is celebrated by the healthcare organizations and some of them award doctors on this day or send them gifts or arrange for a special lunch. The symbol of this Doctors Day is red carnations which stand for love, charity, generosity, and sacrifice – the fine traits that every doctor must hold.
In some nations, this day is marked as a holiday. In India, Doctors Day is celebrated on 1st July which is the birth and death anniversary of the excellent physician named Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy was the 2nd chief minister of West Bengal. This great soul was born on 1st July 1882 and died at the age of 80 in 1962. His excellent work fetched him a Bharat Ratna – India’s highest civilian award. Dr. Roy was an MRCP & FRCS – he gained these degrees simultaneously and there are very few people in history who can achieve these degrees both. Apart from being a doctor, he was also an educationist, philanthropist, freedom fighter, and politician. Dr. Roy was also a member of Brahmo Samaj. His parents were also members of this group and they led an austere and disciplined life and devoted their time and money to the service of everyone in need, irrespective of caste or creed.
He was a brilliant student who gained his I.A. degree from Presidency College, Calcutta and B.A. from Patna College with Honors in Mathematics. After his graduation, he joined the Provincial Health Service and shown immense hard work and commitment to the service of mankind. He sometimes did the duties of a nurse. He then wanted to enroll himself at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital to achieve his Post Graduate studies in Medicine. The dean of that college was unwilling to accept Bidhan Roy as he was an Asian candidate. But he didn’t lose his willpower and kept applying. So, after 30 submissions of applications, he got admission in that college. He completed his PG degree in just 2 years and 3 months and also achieved the rare feat of becoming a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Surgeons both simultaneously.
After returning from England, he used to teach at Calcutta Medical College and later at Campbell Medical School & Carmichael Medical College. He believed that without a healthy mind and body, India cannot attain complete Swaraj. SO, he worked relentlessly. He played a key role in the foundation of Jadavpur T.B. Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan, Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital, Victoria Institution (college), and Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital. Women were initially unwilling to come to the hospital but the great body of work by Dr. Roy & his team did wonders. Chittaranjan Seva Sadan for Women was founded in 1926 and women belonging to all class & communities came there. Later, he also opened a center for training women in nursing & social work.
In 1942, Rangoon fell a victim to Japanese bombing and caused a mass migration from Calcutta dreading Japanese insurgency. At that time, Dr. Roy was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta. He got air-raid shelters for schools and college students to have their classes in and provided liberation for students, teachers and employees alike. For this brave and heroic efforts, he was conferred with Doctorate of Science in 1944.He was also a visionary who had a key role in the formation of Modern Bengal. He laid the foundation of various institutions and 5 eminent planned cities in Bengal named Kalyani, Bidhannagar, Ashokenagar, Habra, and Durgapur.
Indian government started to honor the noteworthy doctors on this date since 1991.
Talking about the field of “health & medicine”, India has shown extraordinary improvements and thus 1st July pays a perfect tribute to all the doctors who have made persistent exertions towards achieving this goal irrespective of the challenges. This whole celebration of Doctors Day is an attempt to underline the value of doctors in the lives of people and to offer them due respect.
