Bengaluru: Doctor chooses patients over his own wedding

BENGALURU: Had all been well, orthopedician Dr Hari Charan L would have tied the knot in the second week of May. But he deferred the special occasion and decided to continue working in the Covid-19 ward at Victoria Hospital instead.


The doctor’s selfless act has earned him appreciation from his peers,

patients

and policymakers, especially at a time when unscrupulous elements are mounting attacks on healthcare professionals, who are toiling to contain the spread of coronavirus. Dr Hari Charan, who took a break on April 24, will now be on a 14-day quarantine, the time when he was to be busy with his wedding preparations.

His fiancé, a postgraduate student in anaesthesia at a private medical college in Bengaluru supports his views. She is also working in the Covid-19 ward of her medical college.

Dr Hari Charan (in pic) said he had never thought he would get to work for patients with respiratory infection. “The emergency situation changed it all. I was posted in the ‘orange zone’ at the trauma care centre for 14 days. I will be tested for Covid-19 on the 13th day of my quarantine period. The government has provided accommodation for

doctors

at a hotel. The next posting will be decided only after the test,” he said.

“I told my seniors to allow me some time to convince my parents. Initially, my family wasn’t willing to send me to work, given the kind of infection we are dealing with. They wanted me to quit my job and stay at home. I spoke to them and it worked,” said Dr Hari Charan.
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