Doing more for our doctors

There was a moment in a recent Instagram reel that stayed with me. A young medical graduate stood quietly as a room broke into applause. The caption read—Not just a uniform. A crown of thorns. Those words captured something profound, as to be a doctor in India is to carry the weight of responsibility, service, and quiet sacrifice.

- DR PREETHA REDDY

National Doctors’ Day in India, celebrated on July 1, served as a reminder of the vital role doctors play, both as medical experts and as companions during life’s most vulnerable moments. The gratitude they receive is genuine, but it must be matched with something more enduring. At the heart of every doctor's journey lies a very human need for support, for balance, and for dignity.

The World Bank has estimated a global shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030. In India, official figures suggest we now have one doctor for every 834 citizens, more than the WHO's recommended ratio. But numbers do not always tell the full story. Nearly 70 per cent of our population lives in rural areas, while most specialists remain concentrated in cities. For a mother walking a mile to reach a clinic or a young doctor attending to emergencies without support, these are not statistics, they are lived realities.