Coronavirus: Doctor in India gets heartwarming welcome after 20 days of duty
Coronavirus: Video shows children standing with hand-drawn messages as the doctor tears up
After treating coronavirus patients in the ICU of a hospital for 20 days straight, when an Indian lady doctor finally returned home, she was welcomed with loud claps and flowers by her family and neighbours. On April 30, a "heartwarming" video of the unnamed doctor went viral on Twitter after Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, retweeted it, thanking frontline workers.
Twitter user @deepak_bjp shared the clip and wrote: “This lady doctor is working in a ICU Dept. in a hospital where COVID-19 patients were treated. She came home after 20 days of non-stop service. Her family and society members welcomed her.”
The doctor had returned home after 20 days of continuous service, according to India media reports. Upon her return, her family and colony neighbours sprinkled flowers on her. The video shows children holding handmade posters with welcoming messages as the doctor tears up because of the gesture.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, @narendramodi, retweeted the video on his official Twitter account and wrote: “Moments like this fill the heart with happiness. This is the spirit of India. We will courageously fight COVID-19. We will remain eternally proud of those working on the frontline.”
While it is unclear where and when the video was shot, Indian netizens loved the gesture and shared it saying this was the right way to treat frontline workers in the country, amid the pandemic.
Netizens thanked the doctor for her service and thought that healthcare workers should be appreciated for their duty.
Tweep @rssonu5 wrote: “This! This is what we need right now! For doctors, healthcare professionals and the police, to be treated like the legends they are. I feel so small, considering all I need to do is just sit […] at home. Salute!”
Indian Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, @PiyushGoyal, also shared the clip and called it a "fitting welcome for a corona warrior."
However, not all healthcare workers have been treated positively in India amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Several instances of people asking doctors to leave their neighbourhoods, with many being verbally and physically abused have surfaced. Largely, people fear that medical staff could be carriers of the disease.