The White Coat Project x Lexicon – “The Call That Changed My Life”
“The Call That Changed My Life”
Story Procured and Edited by Akatya Vidushi
“I distinctly remember the day when I received a call from Dr. Muffi telling me about the Podar and NSCI facilities and he asked me to come on board. This was phase-1 of the lockdown. Muffi sir had no doctors on board then except Dr. Rais, and I had been waiting for an opportunity to serve during this pandemic. The feeling of not helping out as a doctor during this crisis weighed heavily on my conscience. I just couldn’t sit at home doing nothing when I knew that I could be out there saving lives! So, as soon as I got that call from Dr. Muffi, at 8:30 am, I packed up my bags and arrived at Podar, Maharashtra at 12:00 without even giving it a second thought or asking any questions. I knew for sure that not only am I in the right place but also in the most efficient hands in terms of my own security and life. We were extremely understaffed when it came to doctors and nurses, we had so many obstacles. This was nothing like what we’ve dealt with before but I enjoyed each and every bit of it. Even today, after 56 days of working at Podar and NSCI, I am always ready to don that PPE and get into the infected area, to save a life.
For me, the well-being of my patients matters the most. What keeps me going is not the recognition or the praise but the happiness on our patients’ faces when they are discharged to go home to their loved ones. That’s my biggest reward. I am still in touch with all my patients. They call me, I call them and we share such a beautiful bond. This pandemic has got us all together, and looking at the bright side, I think we all will come out as better people after all this ends. What the world needs now is love, compassion, and solidarity.
I do question the whole point of me doing this and probably risking my life at times since I am an asthmatic and also do have days I feel extremely low on energy, physically and mentally, and that’s when my patients switch roles with me and motivate me. They show me how to fight this gracefully. I’ve been blessed with two of the most amazing leaders, Dr. Muffi and Dr. Warty. Being around such great healers like them and eminent Doctors like Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi and Dr. Arjun Singh from Tata Hospital, in the initial phases of my career makes me feel that I’m probably doing something right in my life to even be standing next to them, and getting moulded into someone I’ve always aspired to be.
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity given to me to serve in these times. There is no greater honor and privilege than to be able to aid in someone’s process of recovery and facilitate their process of healing, ease their suffering and bear witness to their happiness and relief. I’m fortunate to feel strongly passionate about what I do, I’ve got the greatest job in the world!”
-Dr.Hansel Misquitta, MBBS, Podar, Maharashtra
